A New “Sound” For A New Kiss Of the Spiderwoman

It is hard to believe it has been almost a decade since I was first introduced to the music of Kiss of the Spider Woman. I used to hear the original cast recording interspersed between equal parts Madonna and Bjork in an apartment I shared nine years ago. The man I lived with at the time said it was his favorite musical, and after hearing the recording of it week after week, I have to confess, it grew on me. I then had the opportunity to see the regional premiere of the work when it was performed in Dallas in 2003, and that began the emotional attachment I have had with the show ever since. It seemed it would be the only time I would ever experience a live version of Kiss.

I never imagined it would be a show I would one day be offered the chance to be a music director for. At that time, my experience was limited to mostly rock musicals and revues, and my work as a pianist/vocalist for jazz groups in the area. Then last year, I saw that Artes De La Rosa had a brochure announcing the show as part of its new season and I immediately contacted the director, Adam Adolfo, to see if there was a music director for the show yet. When he said they were accepting resumes, I sent mine as soon as I could. 3 months later, I was offered the opportunity that only seemed a dream 8 years ago.

Since the director knew that I had a background in composition and arranging, the possibility of a new sound for Kiss was always in the forefront of early discussions. This was going to be to be reinvention of Kiss. Not Chita, not Vanessa, but something new: grittier, dirtier, more brutal than previous productions. When I started seeing set sketches from Oliver, costume drawings from Justin, lighting designs from Matt, and hearing all sorts of what I interpreted “deconstructionist” ideas for staging from Adam, I immediately became attached to the idea of a Kiss that would have a more “unsettled” sound than I had heard before. Yes, our orchestra was going to be smaller to fit budget and space constraints, but I wanted to go a step further. Although I knew I was dealing with a primarily jazz show by the great Kander and Ebb, I really desired to put my stamp on it as a music director and bring a sense of “now” to it. And it was only helped along when Adam informed me he really wanted to do this show without mics and as few electronic sounds as possible.

I have made some bold decisions for this production. The standard jazz trio (piano, bass, drums) setting is still on stage, but as a keyboardist, I decided to add two more instruments I would play during the show: the toy piano and the melodica (a keyboard instrument the performer plays much like a woodwind instrument that sounds like a mix between an accordion and harmonica). Since much of this show dwells in the memory of the characters, I thought what better way to illustrate this than to use instruments that get labeled as toys, things from my own past. The toy piano and melodica literally follow the three main characters throughout the show. It made for a more difficult performing experience for me, but I felt the piano alone was not going to provide enough of that “new sound” I was going for.

The rest of the ensemble consists of trumpet, cello, and a percussionist playing anywhere from 5 to 15 instruments during the course of the show. The trumpet had to be a part since two very significant solos exist for the instrument. The cello was a decision I made after realizing no woodwind instrument had the range and depth I was looking for, and after deciding to play the melodica, I turned to my second favorite instrument, the cello, for inspiration. Indeed, much of the music the cello plays for this production has been rearranged, giving the cello a much more forward role in the ensemble then it would in a 24 member orchestra. The percussionist was a no-brainer to me in this show. Much of what makes Kiss unique, even in its original orchestration, comes from all the percussive sounds one hears throughout it. Plus, it allows for even more “toys”, the “sound of memory”, to have a more prominent place in the sound of the show.

I’ve even tampered a bit with the vocals. Two acappella men’s chorus sections have been added to this version. The chorus sounds a bit harsher, less polished. Even several of the songs for the leads are less about trying to sing all the notes correctly, but allow for moments of whispers, yells, even what could be interpreted as screams.

I have not changed any notes that exist in the show. The Kander score is still all intact. I’ve just switched and rearranged sections of it around, and quite literally, allowed audible holes to be heard in the ensemble to give it that feeling of something that may not be quite finished, providing an atmosphere of distress. My goal has been to support the visual and psychological world this show dwells within. It may be a bit uncomfortable and jarring to the ears at first, but my hope is that the audience will be able to settle into the sound much like they will have to settle (or be unsettled) with all the other elements going on around them.