‘Kiss of the Spider Woman' has new spin on classic queer love story

By Danielle Broadway LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Singer and actor Jennifer Lopez had multiple roles in the movie musical adaptation of “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” and she was determined to make all of them her own while following in the footsteps of acclaimed Latina actors Sonia Braga and Chita Rivera.  "You really do have to kind of let that go and make it your own," Lopez said about her approach to taking on her roles as the Spider Woman, the Hollywood actress named Aurora, and the film star, Ingrid Luna, for the film. “I really felt like each one of the characters had a different tone and singing voice,” Lopez said. “A darker tone for the Spider Woman songs, a lighter, more hopeful, more romantic tone for Aurora’s parts, and then for Ingrid Luna, the actual movie star, just kind of a strong, powerful superstar performer of a woman,” the American Music Award winner added.  The 2025 adaptation of “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” directed by “Dreamgirls” director Bill Condon and distributed by Lionsgate, Roadside Attractions, and LD Entertainment, arrives in theaters on Friday.  The film stems from a 1976 novel by Argentine author Manuel Puig, which was later adapted into a 1985 movie directed by Argentine Brazilian director Héctor Babenco, eventually spawning a 1993 Broadway musical adaptation directed by American director Harold Prince.  The story follows Valentín Arregui, portrayed by Diego Luna, a political prisoner who shares a cell with Luis Molina, played by Tonatiuh Elizarraraz, a window dresser convicted of public indecency.   The two form an unlikely romance as Molina entertains Valentin with the plot from a Hollywood musical starring his favorite film star, Ingrid Luna, played by Lopez.  Condon said while the 2025 version delves more overtly into the queer romance between Molina and Valentin, the 1985 movie was the trailblazer that inspired him.  “Let me just say that film was groundbreaking for its time, and as a young gay man watching that movie, it meant a lot to me,” Condon said.  For Tonatiuh, who goes by his first name professionally, the film is an opportunity to explore both the beautiful art and realistic struggles for historically oppressed communities.  “We were doing something that was bigger than us, but it was also bringing us joy,” he said.  “It reminds us of the power that Latinos and that queer individuals have, the dignities behind our communities, and the resilience behind that,” he added.  However, Tonatiuh wants people to understand that the film is also a “universal message of love.”  (Reporting by Danielle Broadway and Jane Ross;Editing by Mary Milliken and Rod Nickel)

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