Kiss of the Spider Woman at the Curve

At The Curve, Leicester, the first major UK revival of Kiss of the Spider Woman in over three decades proves as unsettling as it is compelling. Originally scored by John Kander and Fred Ebb – the duo behind Cabaret and Chicago – this production continues their tradition of sharp social commentary, this time turning its gaze toward incarceration under Argentina’s fascist regime of the 1970s. Yet its themes of humanity, survival, and connection feel strikingly timeless.

Based on Manuel Puig’s novel of the same name, the book draws on Puig’s own cinephilia, using film as both escape and coping mechanism. That idea pulses through Terrence McNally’s script, where fantasy and reality blur with unnerving fluidity shaped by David Woodhead’s set design, Howard Hudson’s lighting design and Andrezj Goulding’s video design.

Director Paul Foster handles this duality deftly. The production wastes no time plunging the audience into discomfort, opening with a looming close-up of the Spider Woman’s wide, unsettling smile. The intimate Studio setting amplifies this tension, trapping the audience in close proximity to both brutality and fleeting moments of tenderness.

The narrative unfolds within a claustrophobic Buenos Aires prison cell, where Molina, jailed for his sexuality, finds himself sharing a cell with Valentin, a hardened political revolutionary. Amid the constant threat of violence, torture, and state control, they find gradual connection. The production draws a timely connection between queerness and political freedom, making its historical setting feel remarkably current.

The brass-heavy score is performed with intensity by a superb band, underscoring both the heightened escapism of Molina’s imagined movie sequences and the raw aggression of prison life. The musical doesn’t shy away from its darkness; instead using its score to heighten it. Moments of humour, such as Valentin’s bewilderment at seemingly being inside a musical, offer brief but welcome relief.

Visually, the production is striking. Against the dirt and grime of the prison world, Aurora appears dazzlingly out of place. Anna-Jane Casey commands the stage with precision, her high-kicking dance numbers and Gabriella Slade’s meticulous styling – down to colour-coordinated hair and nails – creating a glittering contrast to the bleakness surrounding her. The ensemble’s transformation from hunched, agonised prisoners to vibrant samba dancers is deliberately jarring, reinforcing the uneasy overlap between fantasy and reality.

The performers are uniformly strong. Fabian Soto Pacheco portrays Molina, balancing gentleness and fragility with self-depricating wit. Opposite him, George Blagden brings a convincing hardness to Valentin, though the production leaves a note of ambiguity: does Valentin truly fall in love with Molina, or is he simply using him? The question lingers, after all, how true could a connection be formed in such circumstances?

Joanna Goodwin’s choreography and Fight Director, Kate Waters, add to the deeply disturbing environment. The violence feels inescapably real, made all the more harrowing by the theatre’s intimacy, forcing the audience to witness both cruelty and complicity at close quarters. Jay Rincon’s portrayal of the gleefully cruel Warden is especially harrowing.

Ultimately, this Kiss of the Spider Woman is as unflinching as it is emotionally resonant. Paul Foster’s revival refuses to dilute the musical’s darkness, trusting its score, performances, and stark staging to speak with clarity. What lingers most is the fragile, complicated connection between two people in impossible circumstances.

Kiss of the Spider Woman is showing at The Curve until 25th April 2026 https://www.curveonline.co.uk/whats-on/shows/kiss-of-the-spider-woman/

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