This fall, the musical version of Manuel Puig’s best-known work, El beso de la mujer araña (Kiss of the Spider Woman), is getting a movie adaptation. But here in D.C., GALA Hispanic Theatre kicks off its 50th anniversary season with a vulnerable and visually stunning revival of its landmark Spanish-language production of the original play. An homage to the late GALA co-founder Hugo Medrano, who won a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actor (the first for a Spanish-language performance) for his performance in the company’s 1994 production, the new staging feels especially timely: Kiss of the Spider Woman models a way to live and love during turbulent times.

Puig’s play, which he adapted from his 1976 novel while in exile from Argentina in 1983, is a dialogue-driven melodrama about two

See Full Page