Theater News

Audra McDonald and Alan Cumming Lead Reading of Kiss of the Spider Woman

Steven Pasquale also took part in the reading of the Kander and Ebb musical.

Audra McDonald starred in a recent reading of the 1993 musical Kiss of the Spider Woman.
Audra McDonald starred in a recent reading of the 1993 musical Kiss of the Spider Woman.
(© David Gordon)

Tony winners Audra McDonald and Alan Cumming led the cast of a recent reading of the 1993 Tony Award-winning musical Kiss of the Spider Woman, according to published reports. Joined by The Bridges of Madison County star Steven Pasquale, the reading was directed by Tony-winner John Tiffany (Once).

Based on the novel by Manuel Puig, Kiss of the Spider Woman follows the relationship between a pair of Latin American prisoners, a gay window dresser named Molina (Cumming) and a Marxist revolutinary named Valentin (Pasquale), and Molina's fascination with a Hollywood diva named Aurora (McDonald), whose major role is a deadly one.

The musical features a Tony-winning score by John Kander and Fred Ebb, and a Tony-winning book by Terrence McNally. The original production ran on Broadway for 904 performances.

Tom Kirdahy, McNally's husband, oversaw the reading. Whether it is aiming for a Broadway revival remains to be seen. Kirdahy is the lead producer on the upcoming Kander-Ebb-McNally vehicle The Visit, which stars original Spider Woman Chita Rivera.