Santa Rosa Players' production of Kiss of the Spider Woman , the musical, plants a nice, sloppy wet one square on the mug, and you just gotta love it. It's weird, really weird, but works splendidly as an expressionistic tour de force of song and dance.
Oppression is a drag, dreams liberate, love conquers all.
Though he's a compelling Molina, the actor seems a trifle more interesting than his character. Though the ham-handed acting of the play's officious minor characters sometimes threatens an otherwise seamless show, the Players reveal a heretofore hidden ability to pull off high camp and irony with ease. Santa Rosa Players' Kiss of the Spider Woman plays through Sunday, March 28, at the 709 Davis St., Santa Rosa. Despite the disparity of their personal experience, the two women bond and soon a rattling starts at the emotional floodgates. Author Maggie narrates the play, leading it to an onstage self-deconstruction when she's interrupted by her counterpart, who disapproves of its schmaltzy story line.