One moment he's a Lucha Libre wrestler, then he's dancing like a flower and then he's climbing a hedge like a cat.
It's all part of the six roles that Juan Sebastián Cruz plays in the world premiere musical of
Panto Alicia in Wonderland at Stages theater.
As the story goes, Alice begins to question her culture as she approaches her 15th birthday quinceañera. She falls down the rabbit hole and everything and everyone about her magically celebrates rather than discards the parts of her that make her Alicia.
Of course, as veterans of Stages' panto performances know, two things must happen: There is humor and a lack of reverence as seen in parodies of iconic celebrities including Jennifer Lopez and Bad Bunny and ...
Ryan Schabach will be back as Buttons.
This is not only the first time Cruz has been in a panto; it's the first time he's seen one. Most of his training has been in straight plays, he says, "But I have experience as a dancer and singer in other mediums. So this is actually a really nice opportunity to showcase some of those skills that I've been working on even though it is not normally my bread and butter to do musicals."
He has known directors and writers Benito Vasquez and Marissa Castillo for several years, Cruz says and as he showed them more of what he could do, the number of the parts he is playing in the musical expanded.
Cruz graduated from Rice University, switching majors his sophomore years from engineering to theater and received a bachelor of arts in visual and dramatic arts with a concentration in theater. Although it was a small department at Rice, he was able to gain a more "holistic" theater experience "because they were always needing people to fill various roles. So in addition to being on stage, I was able to be crew, I was able to help build sets, I was able to help design and that gave me a more well-rounded perspective on the collaborative process of theater."
The biggest challenge of this panto, Cruz says, is "First of all it's a new work. Whenever you have new work you have to be prepared to come into the rehearsal room for things to change. The writers who in this case are also the directors, might continue to see things or make adjustments during the process. And that's part of your job as an actor is to bring these changes to life."
Additionally with a musical, especially a comedic musical, it's about bringing the story to life, its larger than life characters, the songs and the choreography have to be fun for the audience. And the story has to have heart."
The cast has some real panto veterans in it, something Cruz had never done before. Besides Schabach and Cruz it includes Larie Rodriguez (
Panto Snow White and the Seven Dorks) as Alicia; Rosarito Rodríguez (Stages debut) as Mom, Red Queen and others; Ricardo Dávila (Sin Muros: A Latinx Theater Festival) as Dad, Tweedledee, Caterpillar and others; Diana Alcaraz (Sin Muros: A Latinx Theater Festival) as Dina; Hare and others; Brenda Palestina (Sin Muros: A Latinx Theater Festival) as Hortensia, Tia 1, El Sol and others; Laiza Rivera (Stages debut) as Margarita, Tia 2, La Botella and others; Jordi Viscarri (
Panto Little Mermaid and
Panto Cinderella) as Rosa, Mad Hatter, Tia 3, La Rosa and others.
Cruz (
My Mañana Comes, Sin Muros: A Latinx Theater Festival) as White Rabbit, Chorste En Cat (think mashup between Cheshire Cat and Joel Osteen) and others including The Game Show Host and Flower 2.
The actor, who has performed in theaters throughout Houston including Alley Theatre and Theatre Under the Stars, feels in a way that this production has him coming full circle since his first professional part was in a Stages production in 2017.
As an actor, he says, you can't sit around waiting to get cast and then say "'Now I'll learn the skill.' You have to always be polishing your skills. And with something like this, staying in shape to a certain degree."
Set in modern day Houston, the two-act runs about two hours. The directors and choreographers have done a very good job of encapsulating the full Latin American experience, he says.
"It has recognizable pop stars that sing in English like Shakira and Pit Bull, but also some more folkloric aspects, different dance styles that represent more of a folkloric, Latin experience in dance and culture. It's also bilingual, there's both English and Spanish though those that don't speak Spanish will be able to understand the play.
"And there will also be some parodies of familiar Houston references and faces. Being able to combine all of that in a fun show is worth noting."
Performances are scheduled for December 1-31 at 7 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays and 2 p.m.Saturdays and Sundays at The Gordy, 800 Rosine. For more information, call 713-537-0123 or visit stageshouston.com. $30-$84.
