INTAR (Paul Slee Rodríguez, Executive Director, Lou Moreno, Artistic Director, Nidia Medina, Artistic Producer) and Radio Drama Network announced today that Joe’s Pub will feature the new musical, ¡Oso Fabuloso & The Bear Backs!. The show will take place on March 24 at 9:30 p.m. (doors open at 9:00 p.m.). Joe’s Pub is located at The Public, 425 Lafayette Street. Tickets are priced at $25.00. Link for tickets https://publictheater.org/productions/joes-pub/2022/o/oso-fabuloso–the-bear-backs/
¡Oso Fabuloso and the Bear Backs! has book and lyrics by C. Julian Jiménez with music by PK Variance. Musical direction and guitar by PK Variance with Robert Cowie on keyboards, Ray Rizzo on drums and Jesse Sklar on bass. Set design and costumes are by Timmy Schues with sound and lighting design by Alberto Ruiz.
¡Oso Fabuloso and the Bear Backs! debuted at INTAR Theater last summer to critical acclaim. He also recently performed at the McKittrick Hotel. “The show has music, heart, wickedness and a bit of philosophy – everything that makes New York great,” said Zachary Stewart (TheaterMania). Adrian Dimanlig (Interludes) said: “The live band are just brilliant, giving the show a big sound that wouldn’t be out of place at a real rock concert. Suffice it to say, Oso Fabuloso & The Bear Backs deserves a future life and may well be the next Hedwig.”
A queer Latino bear named Oso Fabuloso was recently dumped by a two-stroke daddy bear. In order to overcome his depression, Oso seeks help from his therapist, Dr. Calvo, who convinces him to use his gift for singing to sing the blues. Oso agrees to go on tour with his therapist/guitarist and his two bet/backing vocalist friends, Gummy and Grizz, hoping it will cure him of his love woes!
The cast includes C. Julian Jiménez as Oso, Joseph Distl as Grizz, Vasileos Leon as Gummy, and PK Variance as Dr. Calvo.
INTAR has been producing Latino voices in English since 1966 and this season celebrates the artists and crew members of its last mainline production before COVID-19 forced the closure of their theater space.
C.JULIAN JIMENEZ is a queer, Puerto Rican and Dominican playwright who holds an MFA from The New School for Drama. Playwright awards include: New Dramatist Residency (Class of 2025), 2019/2020 Rita Goldberg Playwrights’ Workshop Fellow at The Lark, 2017 & 2018 Pipeline Theater Company PlayLab, 2018 LaGuardia Community College’s LGBTQ History Project Grant, 2015 Queen Arts Council Grant and the 2009 Public Theater Emerging Writers Group. Productions include Man Boobs (Pride Films & Plays, 2011), Nico Was a Fashion Model (Counter-Productions, (2013), Animals Commit Suicide (First Floor Theatre, 2015), Locusts Have No King (INTAR, 2016), Bundle of Sticks (INTAR, 2020) and Alligator Mouth, Tadpole Ass (Theatre Rhinoceros, 2020). He wrote the book for LatinXoxo at Joe’s Pub and Lincoln Center. Other plays include Julio Down of The Schoolyard and Bruise & Thorn. He is co-producer of the hit web series “Bulk” and is an associate professor of drama at Queensborough Community College.
PK VARIANCE is a musician, composer, filmmaker and artist. Past public contributions include music and various video projects for modern dance companies in New York. Currently celebrating the return of Oso y Calvo. The scan of the original composition can be seen and heard at PKVariance Arts on YouTube.
INTAR gratefully acknowledges the subscription support for the 2021 season of the Radio Drama Network (Melina Brown, President). INTAR Theater programming is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council of the Arts, with support from the governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
INTAR: International Arts Relations, Inc., one of the oldest Latin American theater productions in the United States, is an organization committed to the development of “theater arts without borders”. Over the past four decades, INTAR has produced classics, Latin adaptations of classics, cabarets, and 70 world premieres of plays written by Latin Americans, including 2005 Oscar nominee José Rivera and Pulitzer Prize winner. nilo cruz.
INTAR works to foster the professional development of Latino theater artists; produce bold, innovative and artistically significant pieces that reflect diverse perspectives; and making accessible the inherent diversity of America’s cultural heritage.
To date, the theater has commissioned, developed and produced works by over 175 Latino writers, composers and choreographers. He has helped hundreds of Latino playwrights, directors, and actors gain their first professional theater credits, union memberships, and reviews in English-language media.
