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Tuesday, February 15, 2000

Ticket sales for musical play about Selena off to slow start

By Mary Lee Grant
Caller-Times

How to buy tickets Those interested in purchasing tickets to "Selena Forever" showings in San Antonio March 23-25 or Corpus Christi April 5-7 can contact Ticketmaster at (361) 881-8499.

Ticket sales for the musical "Selena Forever,'' which went on sale Friday, have been tepid so far, ticket sellers said. But some think the musical simply may attract a different audience from the ones who flocked to Selena's concerts or to the 1997 movie based on her life.
   "I don't think that Tejano fans tend to go to musicals,'' said Craig's Record Factory owner Rene Ortiz, whose store is one of two Ticketmaster outlets in the city. "I think when people think of Selena, they don't think of musicals. Having Tejano music in a musical in a new thing. It may take some getting used to."
   He said about 20 people lined up at the store on Friday to buy tickets, but that some of those 20 didn't know anything about the musical and were attracted by Selena's name.
   "I think there needs to be more advertising,'' Ortiz said.
   Ortiz said he has sold about 200 tickets since Friday, mostly for shows in Corpus Christi from April 5-7, and a few for the premiere in San Antonio March 23-30. Ticket sellers at Foley's, the other Ticketmaster outlet in Corpus Christi, said sales have been moderate. They had no record of how many had sold as of Monday.
   Products portraying the slain Tejano star, who was shot to death in Corpus Christi almost five years ago by the president of her fan club, have been hot items in South Texas. Selena has inspired a feature film, television drama, documentary, books, dolls and a national clothing line. The movie ''Selena'' catapulted actress Jennifer Lopez to Hollywood fame, and its premiere drew large audiences in Corpus Christi.
   Selena's father, Abraham Quintanilla, said he isn't sure how well the musical will do.
   "It's not a venture for me,'' Quintanilla said. "I'm not involved with the business at all. I just gave them a licensing agreement. I've never been to a play in my life.
   "I don't know how good it is," he said. "But I think it is too soon to tell how well it will sell in Corpus Christi. It is still early.''
   "Selena Forever'' will feature a cast of 35 singers, actors dancers and musicians, and almost 30 songs will be included in the show. Ten are songs that Selena performed and recorded before she was killed in 1995.
   The other songs in the musical are a mix of Latin pop and Tejano.
   Ross Wilmeth, executive director of the Harbor Playhouse, said he thinks the musical will attract a different crowd from the movie.
   "This isn't going to be like the movie, where there were clips from her concert,'' he said. "It's a musical and I think it will attract the same musical group of people in Corpus Christi that support the arts. The people who see 'Annie' and 'Show Boat'' and 'West Side Story' will also come to see this.''
   He said he still thinks the Corpus Christi premiere in April will sell out.
   "People in Corpus Christi wait until the last minute,'' he said. "You can advertise for weeks and they don't buy their tickets until the last day.''
  
  

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Staff writer Mary Lee Grant can be reached at 886-3752 or by e-mail at grantm@caller.com

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