El Cimarrón at Broadway Theatre Center
January 3, 2014Events

El Cimarrón at Broadway Theatre Center

Courtesy of Starlight Theatre It’s not a household title like Les Misérables, but El Cimarrón may be the most interesting work in Skylight Music Theatre’s season. The title refers to Cuban slang for slaves, and the piece tells the story of Esteban Montejo, an escaped slave who lived to see the rise of Fidel Castro. Hans Werner Henze called his 1970 work a “recital for four musicians,” but it has been staged over the years by some of the world’s most innovative directors. For this production, Viswa Subbaraman tapped Greek director Eugenia Arsenis, who has directed regularly at New York…

BY Paul Kosidowski

Courtesy of Starlight Theatre

It’s not a household title like Les Misérables, but El Cimarrón may be the most interesting work in Skylight Music Theatre’s season. The title refers to Cuban slang for slaves, and the piece tells the story of Esteban Montejo, an escaped slave who lived to see the rise of Fidel Castro. Hans Werner Henze called his 1970 work a “recital for four musicians,” but it has been staged over the years by some of the world’s most innovative directors. For this production, Viswa Subbaraman tapped Greek director Eugenia Arsenis, who has directed regularly at New York City’s Center for Contemporary Opera, which will also host the production. Eric McKeever plays the title role. 

➞ El Cimarrón (Jan. 3-12). Broadway Theatre Center. Studio Theatre. 158 N. Broadway, 414-291-7800, skylightmusictheatre.org.

Paul Kosidowski
Paul Kosidowski is a freelance writer and critic who contributes regularly to Milwaukee Magazine, WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio and national arts magazines. He writes weekly reviews and previews for the Culture Club column. He was literary director of the Milwaukee Repertory Theater from 1999-2006. In 2007, he was a fellow with the NEA Theater and Musical Theater Criticism Institute at the University of Southern California. His writing has also appeared in American Theatre magazine, Backstage, The Boston Globe, Theatre Topics, and Isthmus (Madison, Wis.). He has taught theater history, arts criticism and magazine writing at Marquette University and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

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