Music Paul Simon
Lyrics Paul Simon and Derek Walcott
Book Paul Simon and Derek Walcott
Productions 1998 Broadway
The Capeman is a musical play written by Paul Simon and Derek Walcott based on the life of Salvador Agron. The play opened at the Marquis Theatre in 1998 to poor reviews and had an initial run of less than three months. A blend of doo-wop, gospel, and latin music, it received Tony award nominations for Best Original Score, Best Orchestrations and Best Scenic Design.
The Broadway production cost $11 million to produce, taking almost a decade to reach the stage after its conception in 1989. Hampered by last-minute rewrites that pushed the opening date from January 8 to January 29, and protests at the controversial narrative subject matter, the production was notable for its cast of mostly Latin-American actors and marked the Broadway debuts of Marc Anthony, Ruben Blades, Ednita Nazario, and Sara Ramirez.
Paul Simon's studio album Songs from The Capeman is a selection of songs from The Capeman performed by Simon with occasional appearances from the original cast. A complete original cast recording of the show was produced, but never released on CD. (It was released in its entirety via iTunes.)
In 2008, Simon and the Spanish Harlem Orchestra revisited The Capeman at
the Brooklyn Academy of Music with some of the original cast and other well-known
artists.
Jason Ramirez's article, "The Case of The Capeman: Appropriation of the
Authentic" (Aztlan Journal of Chicano Studies, 2003), analyzes the play
in comparison to other Latino themed musicals.
Selected personnel
Paul Simon Music and lyrics
Derek Walcott Book and lyrics
Mark Morris Director and choreographer
Bob Crowley Scenic designer and costume designer
[edit]Original cast
Marc Anthony - Young Salvador Agron
Ruben Blades - Adult Salvador Agron
Ednita Nazario - Esmerelda Agron
Élan Luz Rivera - Cookie