The Capeman

Infobox Musical


name=The Capeman
caption=Original Broadway poster
music=Paul Simon
lyrics=Paul Simon and Derek Walcott
book=Paul Simon and Derek Walcott
basis=
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.

elected personnel

*Paul Simon Music and lyrics
*Derek Walcott Book and lyrics
*Mark Morris Director and choreographer
*Bob Crowley Scenic designer and costume designer

Original cast

*Marc Anthony - Young Salvador Agron
*Ruben Blades - Adult Salvador Agron
*Ednita Nazario - Esmerelda Agron
*Élan Luz Rivera - Cookie

External links

* [http://www.ibdb.com/production.asp?ID=5147 The Capeman] at [http://www.ibdb.com Internet Broadway Database]
* [http://www.wbr.com/paulsimon/capeman/cmp/story.html "The Story of the Capeman"] , article by Paul Simon
* [http://www.curtainup.com/capeman.html a review]
* [http://www.maestravida.com/capemaninconcert.html The Capeman in Concert 2008]