I had a blast writing this song with David Kamp for La Jolla Playhouse celebrating that we can all taste the imminent return of Live Theater! It's coming y'all! Thank you to the ridiculously talented Storm Lever, Joél Perez, Raymond J. Lee, and Allison Spratt Pearce for bringing it to life!! And thank you to Eric Keen-Louie and Gabe Greene for giving us the opportunity! The song starts around 2 minutes in!
Thrilled that “Kiss My Aztec” finally opened at La Jolla Playhouse and that the critics and audience seem to be having a blast! Shout out to my peerless collaborators John Leguizamo, Tony Taccone, and David Kamp. We still run until October 13th, so be sure to check it out if you’re going to be in southern California before then!!
Some review highlights:
“A little like “In the Heights” crashing into “The Book of Mormon” somewhere along “Avenue Q.”
“The show has the vibrant musical diversity (and welcome multi-ethnic mix) of that first show; the R-rated impudence and unfettered showiness of the second; and, along with the buoyant spirit, the fuzzy puppets of the third.”
“Don’t Tell Me What I Can’t Do” (one of scads of strong tunes by the gifted young composer Benjamin Velez)
“cheeky, salty, irreverent, playfully wicked (even a little scandalous)”
“The most potent musical numbers bookend the piece and provide the most resonance with today”
“You have to be impressed by the palpable energy and ebullience on display”
“fun folklore fantasy that entertains as it touches upon issues that still resonate today.
“This musical has a feverish energy, and biting commentary”
“funny, high energy, bold and brash, deliberately challenging”
“Music by Benjamin Velez, and lyrics by David Kamp, Velez, and Leguizamo have created genre-hopping song infused with salsa, jazz, hip-hop, and more. It's a fitting mix for a show about forced integration of diametrically opposed forces that the show doesn't fit any one musical style.”
“the best part of the show is the songs. Benjamin Velez's music is a rich mix of styles. The melodies please the ear and energize the action”
Super excited to share that “Kiss My Aztec,” my musical with John Leguizamo, David Kamp, and Tony Taccone, will move to La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego in Fall of 2019 after premiering at Berkeley Rep this coming May! Can’t wait to bring it there and honored for the chance to work with everyone at La Jolla!