The John Leguizamo musical Kiss My Aztec! will hold an industry presentation of excerpts from the musical October 23, with Leguizamo hosting. The work is being produced by Joey Parnes.
The musical features a book by Leguizamo and Tony Taccone, music by Benjamin Velez, and lyrics by David Kamp, Velez, and Leguizamo. Based on a screenplay by Leguizamo and Stephen Chbosky, the work travels back to the 16th century as a group of Aztecs lead the resistance against Spanish invaders. With a fierce female warrior at the helm and a not-so-fierce clown in tow, they mount a scrappy attack—and get entangled with royalty, conquistadors, and puppets.
The show was originally commissioned by Berkeley Repertory Theatre, where it made its world premiere in 2019. The musical was presented at La Jolla Playhouse later the same year, followed by a "pre-Broadway" production at Hartford Stage in 2022. Taccone is also directing the musical, and staged all three previous productions.
See photos from the Hartford Stage run below: