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Wednesday, March 22, 2000
Crowds enjoy preview of 'Selena Forever'
By Ricardo Baca
Caller-Times
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| Associated Press |
| Veronica Vazquez rehearses as the lead part of Selena for ‘Selena Forever’ in San Antonio in March. The play opens Thursday. |
Gazing at a Barbie doll, a young Selena voices her vision for the future in the opening moments of the musical "Selena Forever."
"I wish some day they'd make dolls that look like me."
If that is one of the Tejano superstar's childhood dreams, it has been fulfilled over and over again, filling the lobby of San Antonio's Municipal Auditorium, where the brand new musical enjoyed its world premiere Tuesday night.
Upon entering the lobby, the audience was greeted with a merchandise display rivaling that of a Disney production, complete with Selena T-shirts, hats and dolls.
The majority of the songs are originals written specifically for the musical by Fernando Rivas, and Edward Gallardo's book and lyrics are telling and humorous, bringing the audience even deeper into the Quintanilla family lore.
But the organizers were sure to weave many of Selena's songs into the mix, and that seemed to please the crowd the most. The alternate actress for Selena, San Antonio's Rebecca Valadez, brought the star to life Tuesday night and her rousing take on "Baila Esta Cumbia" was well-received throughout the house with head-bobbing and kids dancing in their seats to the familiar beats.
The show is still a work in progress and Tuesday night's performance was a preview, as is tonight's.
Opening night for "Selena Forever" is Thursday, when the Quintanilla family and people from EMI Latin will attend, producers said.
Producers are in talks with EMI Latin, Selena's label, to release the original cast album. The musical plays San Antonio through March 26, and after a week and a half in Dallas it hits the stage at Corpus Christi's Selena Auditorium from April 5 through 7. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster locations.
The musical, which could end up on Broadway, is packed with South Texas references, including Selena's mother, Marcella Quintanilla's line, "Sometimes I think Selena's gonna turn into a Whataburger the way she eats those things."
Staff writer Ricardo Baca can be reached at 886-3615 or by e-mail at bacar@caller.com.
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