[NEohioPAL] Teatro Publico de Cleveland Presents Comic Book-Inspired "El Coquí Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom" By Matt Barbot

[Kim Furganson]

TPC and CPT Present Superhero on a crusade to save Puerto Ricans in Comic Book-inspired Play
El Coquí Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom by Matt Barbot
March 20 through April 5, 2025

Teatro Público de Cleveland<https://www.cptonline.org/education/teatro-publico-de-cleveland/> and Cleveland Public Theatre<https://www.cptonline.org/> are excited to present El Coquí Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom by Matt Barbot. The play has been popular across the country for nearly a decade and has since won several awards including a couple at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.


About the play

By day, Alex is a struggling comic book artist tempted by the allure of a steady job, but by night he is "El Coquí Espectacular," a superhero on a mission to save his fellow Puerto Ricans; while his advertising exec brother, Joe, reluctantly becomes the "voice" of Spanish-speaking people everywhere, and he doesn’t even speak Spanish. See how the brothers discover their true identities in this comic book come to life.

El Coquí Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom
was originally produced by Two River Theater
John Dias, Artistic Director / Michael Hurst, Managing Director

Featuring: Roxana Bell, Nathalie Bermudez, Alisha Caraballo, Angelluis Centeno, Alejandro Martinez Jr., Elena Grace Thomson (Understudy)
Creative Team
Director: Fabio Polanco
Assistant Director: Nahomy Garcia
Stage Manager: Mekenzie Keogh
Line Producer: Anastasía Urozhaeva
Costumes & Props Designer: Inda Blatch-Geib
Scenic Designer: Gennie Neuman Lambert
Lighting Designer: Jaemin Park
Assistant to Lighting Designer: Elena Grace Thomson
Sound Designer & Composer: Stewart Blackwood
Projection Designer: Val Kozlenko
Fight Choreographer: Ryan Zarecki

About Playwright Matt Barbot<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Barbot>
Matt Barbot is a writer from Brooklyn, NY. His play El Coquí Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom (Kennedy Center Darrel Ayers Award, Kennedy Center Latinidad Award) received its world premiere at Two River Theater in January of 2018 and will receive a production with Long Wharf Theatre in January 2025. His play the beautiful land i seek (la linda tierra que busco yo) will premiere Off Broadway at Pregones/PRTT in December. Infallibility (2018 Sheen Center Playwriting Fellowship) was selected as one of Indie Theater Now‘s “Best of FringeNYC 2013.” Princess Clara of Loisaida (finalist: Latinx Theatre Commons’ 2018 Carnaval of New Latinx Work, 2018 Columbia at Roundabout New Play Series, 2021 Miranda Family Voces Latinx National Playwriting Competition) and Saints Go Marching (semifinalist: 2018 Eugene O’Neill Theater Center National Playwrights Conference) were selected to feature on Steppenwolf’s “The Mix” list. The Venetians was a winner of Roundabout Theatre Company’s 2019 Columbia at Roundabout New Play Series. Recently, his short play A List of Some Shit I’ve Killed was published as part of the Red Bull Theater’s anthology Red Bull Shorts Volume III. Matt’s first play for young audiences, Stoo’s Famous Martian American Gumbo, was commissioned by Peppercorn Theatre and was produced there in Summer 2019, and again in 2021 as part of Hangar Theatre’s KIDDSTUFF series. Matt was invited to be a part of Lynn Nottage’s The Watering Hole at the Signature Theatre; Maya Phillips of the New York Times called his contribution “the strongest.” Matt received his MFA from Columbia University, and was recently a New York Theatre Workshop 2050 Fellow, a member of The Civilians’ R&D Group, and part of the Lark Playwriting Group @ Second Stage.

About Director Fabio Polanco
Fabio Polanco‘s directing credits include Pride and Prejudice, Somewhere, La Siempreviva, Intimate Apparel, Macbeth, Bus Stop, Night Train to Bolina, the regional premiere of Missionaries by Elizabeth Swados, Measure for Measure, Cloud Tectonics, The House of Blue Leaves, Sunday in the Park with George, readings of Fade, La Gringa, and Manual for a Desperate Crossing by Maria Irene Fornés, and the premiere of In Pieces: A New Musical by Joey Contreras. As an actor, Fabio’s credits include the Broadway national tour of Les Misérables and roles at Cleveland Play House, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, McCarter Theatre, Signature Theatre, Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, Great Lakes Theater, Musical Theatre Project, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Porthouse Theatre, Cleveland Musical Theatre, Cain Park, Dobama Theatre, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, and numerous film and television credits. Fabio holds an MFA from Case Western Reserve University and is a Professor of Theatre at Kent State University, where he received the 2018 Outstanding Research and Scholarship Award and co-founded Latinx in Theatre. Fabio has been a member of Actors’ Equity Association since 1996.

Ticket and Show Information
Cleveland Public Theatre utilizes a Choose What You Pay<https://www.cptonline.org/uncategorized/cleveland-public-theatre-announces-expanded-choose-what-you-pay-ticketing-practice/> policy, with no handling fees, allowing patrons the option to select their own rate. Tickets may be purchased online, over the phone, and at the Box Office at 216.631.2727 ext. 501. For more information visit www.cptonline.org<http://www.cptonline.org>

Extras
Opening Night (March 22) – Ticket includes free admission to the post-show opening night celebration with appetizers and beverages and a chance to mingle with cast members.

Free Bev Friday – Ticket includes FREE post-show beverages following every Friday night performance.

Covid-Conscious Sunday (March 23 & 30) <https://www.cptonline.org/plan-your-visit/> ― Realizing that patrons have different levels of comfort while attending live events; we have designated these two performances where patrons are required to wear face masks for the duration of the performances. CDC suggests K95 or surgical for the best protection against Covid-19 and other airborne viruses.

The James Levin Theatre is ADA-compliant featuring a ramped entrance and an all-gender, wheelchair accessible restroom.






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