Capeman Postpones Opening to Jan. 29 | Playbill

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News Capeman Postpones Opening to Jan. 29 The rumors are true. Problematic word-of-mouth for Paul Simon's musical, The Capeman, has forced a postponement of the show's opening from Jan. 8 to Jan. 29.

The rumors are true. Problematic word-of-mouth for Paul Simon's musical, The Capeman, has forced a postponement of the show's opening from Jan. 8 to Jan. 29.

The Los Angeles Times (Dec. 16) reported early in the day that the opening was likely to be postponed, a rumor denied by the show's press agency only hours before sending out official confirmation of the date change. However, rumors that director/choreographer Mark Morris may be replaced (possibly by Carousel's Nicholas Hytner), are still firmly denied.

Here's the official reason for the switch: "...to allow more time to rehearse and introduce new material into the show. The change in date will allow the creative team and company an additional 65 hours of rehearsal time. Despite not having the benefit of an out-of-town engagement, The Capeman team [are] encouraged by what they have learned from early previews and need additional time to complete the production."

Eyes will definitely be turned to television sets Jan. 2, when Simon, Morris and Walcott all appear on the Charlie Rose talk show (11 PM, EST, on NYC's channel 13). The show was taped earlier in December, so the controversy over turning Agron's life into a musical was already in the air, but the show had not yet announced the delay of its opening date for retooling. [The second half of that program, by the way, will feature Natalie Portman, Linda Lavin, James Lapine and Wendy Kesselman, from The Diary Of Anne Frank].

Paul Simon's first Broadway musical, The Capeman, based on the true story of a tabloid killer who becomes a poet in prison, began Broadway previews Dec. 1. It's the first musical by the Grammy-winning composer and singer Simon ("Graceland," "Bridge Over Troubled Water," "Mrs. Robinson," "Kodachrome," "America," "The Sounds of Silence" and "Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover.") Tickets ($50-$75) for Capeman at the Marquis Theatre are on sale via Ticketmaster, (212) 307-4100. Previews will continue throughout the reworking stage at $55-$67.50 for tickets. Those who bought tickets for shows between Jan. 8-28 will be entitled to a partial refund or can exchange seats for later in the run.

Simon has penned 36 songs for the musical, alongside co-writer and co lyricist Derek Walcott, who won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1994. Song titles include "I Was Born In Puerto Rico," "Satin Summer Nights," "Time Is An Ocean of Endless Tears," and "Esmeralda's Dream." A production spokesman called the musical style a mix of salsa, 'plenas,' and doo-wop. A CD, "Songs From The Capeman, was released Nov. 18, with Simon singing alongside Capeman leads Ruben Blades, Marc Anthony and Ednita Nazario.

Salsa singer Blades plays the protagonist at age 38, while 26-year-old Latino salsa star Anthony will play the Capeman at 16. Blades, an actor (The Milagro Beanfield War), is best known for his work with the musical group Seis de Solar.

Capeman's mother, Esmeralda, is played by Ednita Nazario. Renaly Santiago plays the "umbrella man," who serves as the Capeman's accomplice.

Capeman is being produced by Plenaro Productions, Dan Klores and Edgar Dobie, in association with James L. Nederlander.

Mark Morris, who was choreographer for the show's workshop, replaced Eric Simonson as director of the full project. Sets and costumes are by Bob Crowley; lighting by Natasha Katz; sound by Peter J. Fitzgerald. Also on the creative team: Wendall K. Harrington (projections), Stanley Silverman (co-orchestrator/music arranger/vocal arranger/consultant to Simon), Mark Silag (music coordinator), Roy Halee (sound consultant) and Oscar Hernandez (musical director/conductor/co-orchestrator).

Simon has been working for several years on this musical, based on a real life Manhattan murder case. The New York Times reported that practitioners of the Caribbean religion Santeria have been hired to drum and sing genuine Santero prayers in the musical.

"It's a New York Puerto Rican story," Simon told Playbill earlier this year, "based on events that happened in 1959--events that I remembered."

The musical tells the story of real-life Puerto Rican youth Salvador Agron, who wore a cape while committing two murders in 1959 New York, and who went on to become a poet in prison. Producer Dan Klores called him, "one of the finest Puerto Rican poets of his generation." According to the New York Post, Queens resident Agron stabbed two innocent people to death in NYC's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood. He faced the electric chair but was sentenced to life imprisonment. After 21 years, then-Gov. Nelson Rockefeller freed Agron, who died in 1986.

As if the producers didn't have enough to contend with, protesters -- many of them relatives of murder victims -- are upset with the musical. Kim Erker, a cousin of Agron's victim, Robert Young, stood outside the Marquis Theatre on the first preview night, Dec. 1, carrying a sign that read "Our Loss Is $imon's Gain." She told the Associated Press, "My cousin's murder should not be entertainment. There's a million stories in New York City, why pick this one? You don't do a murder musical to jump start your career. Would Paul Simon do this if his son was murdered?" She stopped short of calling for a boycott, however, saying, "I'm not trying to shut it down. I want Paul Simon to know that he could have talked to someone in the family so (some of) the focus could have been on the victims."

The protests got coverage on national TV and radio. AP reported that Capeman producer Dan Klores released a statement reading: "In no way, shape or form does The Capeman glamorize the acts or life of Salvador Agron. In fact, it examines the human being's search for redemption. Unfortunately, those who object to this artistic endeavor have no accurate information at all. Theatre, literature, film, opera and ballet have always wrestled with issues of good versus evil."

 
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