Kiss of the Spider Woman

John Kander composed Kiss of the Spider Woman to lyrics by Fred Ebb, and Terrence McNally wrote the book. The musical grew from Manuel Puig's 1976 novel about two men sharing a prison cell in Argentina, and this production places the story in Latin America in the 1970s.

New York City Center is set to present it in spring 2027 as a concert staging, a limited run of two weeks and the last of three such productions that year. It is described as the first major return of the work to New York. Andy Blankenbuehler directs and choreographs.

No performers have been announced. As of October 2026, City Center names only the writers, the director-choreographer and the music director, so check the official website for casting news.

Molina, a window dresser, is partway through an eight-year prison sentence. He gets through the days on the films of Aurora, a screen diva he idolizes, which he replays in memory and retells aloud.

His new cellmate, Valentin, is a Marxist revolutionary who arrives already tortured. At first he rejects the fantasies and marks a boundary across the floor, but the stories gradually turn into companionship. Molina speaks of Gabriel, a waiter he loves without return, and Valentin confides that he loves a woman named Marta.

Pressure builds from outside. The warden offers Molina a visit to his gravely ill mother in exchange for information about Valentin's girlfriend, and poisoned food sickens both men. Molina also has one story he fears to tell: Aurora's role as the Spider Woman, whose kiss kills.

Kander and Ebb divide the score between the cell and the film fantasies Molina conjures. "Her Name is Aurora" is named for the diva, while "Gabriel's Letter / My First Woman," "Over the Wall III / Marta" and "Mama, It's Me" point to the people the two men carry in their minds. "Over the Wall" returns in numbered parts, including "Over the Wall IV / Lucky Molina." Other titles include "Morphine Tango" and the title number, "Kiss of the Spider Woman."

The 2025 film leaves out nearly all the cell songs and keeps the fantasy numbers, with three new Kander songs set to existing Ebb lyrics. Viewers who know only the film will likely find much of the stage score new.

A concert staging uses minimal sets and costumes, with the orchestra and cast at the center of the stage, and actors may carry scripts. The Mainstage has 2,257 seats on three levels. City Center calls it a Neo-Moorish theater with a domed roof, fully restored in 2011.

Puig's novel appeared in 1976 and was banned in Argentina until 1983, the year he adapted it for the stage. Héctor Babenco's 1985 film won William Hurt the Academy Award for Best Actor.

The musical's first staging came in May 1990 at SUNY Purchase, directed by Harold Prince. A reworked version opened in Toronto in 1992, and London followed at the Shaftesbury Theatre on October 20, 1992. Chita Rivera, Brent Carver and Anthony Crivello repeated their roles from both cities on Broadway, where the show ran at the Broadhurst Theatre from May 1993 to July 1995, 904 performances in all.

Later stagings include Buenos Aires in 1995 and an Off-Broadway revival by Vortex Theatre Company in 2007. A UK production opened in Leicester in April 2026, and Bill Condon's film, with Jennifer Lopez as Aurora, reached theaters on October 10, 2025.