The Mapmaker’s Opera
based on the novel by Béa Gonzalez
book & lyrics by Victor Kazan
music by Kevin Purcell
directed by Donald Brennar / music direction by Daniel Rein
presented at the New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF)
in the Pearl Theatre Company space
with Joel Perez, Sean McDermott, Tony Chiroldes Paul Consentino, Henry Gainza, Lorraine Serabian, Cartlos Encinias, Andres, Acosta, Tony, Castellanos, Debra Cardona, Alma Cuervo, Natalia Lepore Hagan and the Australian actress, Madeleine Featherby.
Set on the eve of the Mexican Revolution, in the place of the 'Mundo Maya', the Musical recounts the poignant story of a young Spaniard, Diego Clemente, and La Señorita Sofia Duarte - star-crossed lovers whose fate is sealed by a desperate quest to save two, once-common, birds from extinction. From childhood days in his native Spain spent poring over, and copying, Audubon's luminous bird illustrations, young Clemente has dreamed of seeing such birds in person. When an opportunity to work with a famous naturalist in Mexico presents itself, Diego sets sail for the Yucatán Peninsula, where upon arriving, he falls in love with Sofia, a beautiful but defiant woman as entranced by these majestic creatures as he.
Mapmakers began our relationship with the brilliant Australian Kevin Purcell. The piece has been considerably rewritten since then - has a new title (The Stranger From Seville) and we recently presented the new musical in a workshop, directed by Martin Platt.
Talkin’ Broadway said of the NYMF production: “The beauty and magic of both the Yucatán and the wild possibilities of romance charge the impressively conceived musical The Mapmaker's Opera, which plays its final performance today as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival.”