The
Latest Tribute
 New
musical is a different way to honor Selena the way she lived, through song and
dance
By Ricardo Baca
Caller-Times
A
single rose floats in the center of the theater's lavender backdrop. The rose
isn't just a rose - rather, it signifies something, or someone, more.
Walk down the aisle, have a seat and enjoy the stage musical "Selena
Forever," the much-anticipated tribute to the murdered singer where Tejano meets
theater in the story that begs to be told on stage. "Selena Forever" incorporates
the vastly separated worlds - Tejano music and theater - and it's a welcome contrast,
mixing elements of one into the other and creating a product that is unique. The
musical opened in San Antonio's Municipal Auditorium on March 21 and played through
March 26 before heading to Dallas for a week and a half. It arrives in Corpus
Christi, Selena's hometown, on April 5 at Selena Auditorium.
The musical is the latest tribute to the singer, and it's completely
different from all the others. It has more than 30 songs, a majority of which
are originals with music written by Fernando Rivas and lyrics by Edward Gallardo.
A few of Selena's favorites have been woven into the mix - "I Could Fall in Love,"
"Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" and "Baila Esta Cumbia" are a few - adding a strong sense
of familiarity for her fans.
The fashionably dressed, sold-out crowd filled the auditorium and
the curtain opened revealing dancers and hints of an older and more confident
Selena. But for now young Selena (played by 11-year-old Denise Stefanie Gonzalez)
dreams of a life on stage as she sings "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." After opening
night, Gonzalez talked about the stress (or lack of) in performing.
"I didn't feel that much pressure," said Gonzalez, a California native.
"It was really nice to hear the applause and to hear people laughing. … It's been
really easy to learn the songs and the lines. It's stuff that I would say every
day."
Gonzalez said she expects a different audience when the show reaches
Corpus Christi.
"It's Selena's hometown, and many people there knew her," she said.
"It will be difficult for me to perform there because so many people in the audience
knew her when she was little."
Actor David Casanova has had the opportunity to hang with Selena's
husband, guitarist Chris Perez, whom Casanova is portraying in "Selena Forever."
When Casanova met Perez's parents in their home, he had auburn hair.
They immediately took to him and offered to dye his hair and eyebrows black and
suggested he get brown contact lenses to look more like Chris.
"Their hairdresser cut Chris' hair and then dyed my hair right there
in their kitchen," he said.
The musical is primarily in English, but a lot of Spanish is found
in a few songs and conversations.
"We're reaching out for an audience that's not your typical Broadway
audience," Casanova said. "This is the first Latino musical in this century, this
millennium."
Gonzalez's enthusiasm about the project is also visible in every
step on- and off-stage. Her confidence is felt, and perhaps some of that is due
to her meeting with the Quintanilla family a couple of times. The family gave
her inside information on how Selena behaved in her early years, and Gonzalez
said she really took their words to heart. "I met Abraham, Marcella and A.B. at
the EMI party a few weeks ago," she said.
"They said that Selena liked to joke around with people, and that
she really did put toothpaste in the Oreos when she was about my age."
Staff writer Ricardo Baca can be reached at 886-3716 or by e-mail
at bacar@caller.com
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