Ocesa Teatro
Encyclopedia
OCESA Teatro is a division of Grupo CIE
. It is dedicated to produce and promote theater, especially in Mexico City, being the largest producer in Mexico
and Latin America
.
. Both plays became a great success and so did OCESA's Theater division. Moving from the Orfeon Theater where Beauty and the Beast was playing, the company was seeking to build or buy their own theaters for large format musicals. In 1999 RENT
and The Phantom Of The Opera
were simultaneously played at the newly rebuilt Alameda Theaters. In 2000, Telmex
bought both theaters to become part of the Centro Cultural Telmex (Telmex Cultural Center) which consists of two theaters, with capacity of 2,254 for Theatre 1 and 1,200 seats for Theatre 2, an art gallery and a small shopping center. An agreement was signed between Telmex and OCESA to let OCESA operate the theaters and present exclusively OCESA productions. OCESA Teatro is nowadays, the biggest producer of dramatic and musical theater in Latin America; producing each year at least two Broadway-style shows and two or three plays. It is associated with companies in Buenos Aires
, Sao Paulo
, Madrid
, Barcelona
and Portugal
to help them reduce costs and risks linked with big budget productions and to share them copyrights, music, adaptations, sets or even cast members among the associates. Most productions include well known actors from other media but specially those popularized by television. Their shows are characterized for having very high standards of quality and competition is almost nonexistent.
Also OCESA Teatro has received complains about how the company strives to recreate exactly the Broadway experience in most of their shows, leaving little freedom of expression to local directors. OCESA Teatro has responded that this is due to copyright restrictions established in the contracts of the original plays; however, despite those directors' complains, the company's most successful shows are those who have been kept faithful to their original Broadway counterparts.
Grupo CIE
Grupo CIE is a Mexican entertainment company. It is leader of Latin American entertainment sector, focusing especially on the markets of Hispanic and Portuguese language, including the Latin market of the United States...
. It is dedicated to produce and promote theater, especially in Mexico City, being the largest producer in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
.
History
The theater division of OCESA, part of Grupo CIE (Corporación Interamericana de Entretenimiento), was created in 1997 for the production of stage plays and musicals. The first play produced was Confesiones de Mujeres de 30 and later Disney's Beauty and the BeastBeauty and the Beast (musical)
Beauty and the Beast is a musical with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice and a book by Linda Woolverton, based on the 1991 Disney film of the same name. Seven new songs were written for the stage musical...
. Both plays became a great success and so did OCESA's Theater division. Moving from the Orfeon Theater where Beauty and the Beast was playing, the company was seeking to build or buy their own theaters for large format musicals. In 1999 RENT
Rent
Rent may refer to:*Renting, a system of payment for the temporary use of something owned by someone else ; the payments for such use are typically referred to as "rent"...
and The Phantom Of The Opera
The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)
The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,...
were simultaneously played at the newly rebuilt Alameda Theaters. In 2000, Telmex
Telmex
Telmex is a telecommunications company headquartered in Mexico City that provides telecommunication products and services in Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Brazil and other countries in Latin America. In addition to traditional fixed-line telephone service, Telmex also offers Internet access, data,...
bought both theaters to become part of the Centro Cultural Telmex (Telmex Cultural Center) which consists of two theaters, with capacity of 2,254 for Theatre 1 and 1,200 seats for Theatre 2, an art gallery and a small shopping center. An agreement was signed between Telmex and OCESA to let OCESA operate the theaters and present exclusively OCESA productions. OCESA Teatro is nowadays, the biggest producer of dramatic and musical theater in Latin America; producing each year at least two Broadway-style shows and two or three plays. It is associated with companies in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Sao Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
and Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
to help them reduce costs and risks linked with big budget productions and to share them copyrights, music, adaptations, sets or even cast members among the associates. Most productions include well known actors from other media but specially those popularized by television. Their shows are characterized for having very high standards of quality and competition is almost nonexistent.
Musicals
| Musical | Opening Date | Closing Date | Performances | Spectators | Theater | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beauty and the Beast Beauty and the Beast (musical) Beauty and the Beast is a musical with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice and a book by Linda Woolverton, based on the 1991 Disney film of the same name. Seven new songs were written for the stage musical... |
May 1997 | June 1998 | 420 | 650,000 | Orfeon Theatre | |
| RENT Rent Rent may refer to:*Renting, a system of payment for the temporary use of something owned by someone else ; the payments for such use are typically referred to as "rent"... |
June 1999 | January 2000 | 220 | 120,000 | Alameda Theatre 2 | |
| The Phantom of the Opera The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical) The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,... |
December 1999 | January 2001 | 400 | 550,000 | Alameda Theatre 1 | The most expensive of all productions to date. |
| Man of la Mancha Man of La Mancha Man of La Mancha is a musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, lyrics by Joe Darion and music by Mitch Leigh. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay I, Don Quixote, which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cervantes's seventeenth century masterpiece Don Quixote... |
April 2000 | August 2001 | 443 | 220,000 | Centro Cultural Telmex Theatre 2 | The scenery was completely different from that on Broadway Broadway theatre Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City... . |
| Jesus Christ Superstar Jesus Christ Superstar Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971... |
March 2001 | December 2001 | 230 | 130,000 | Centro Cultural Telmex Theatre 1 | |
| Chicago Chicago (musical) Chicago is a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago. The music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal"... |
October 2001 | September 2002 | 329 | 250,000 | Centro Cultural Telmex Theatre 2 | Bianca Marroquin (Roxie) was invited to do her crossover from Mexico to Broadway in the same leading role for three different seasons, last one with Rap-singer Usher and toured USA and Canada for about three years with Chicago in the same leading role, Roxie Hart. |
| The Full Monty The Full Monty (musical) The Full Monty is a musical with a book by Terrence McNally and score by David Yazbek.In this Americanized musical stage version adapted from the 1997 British film of the same name, six unemployed Buffalo steelworkers, low on both cash and prospects, decide to present a strip act at a local club... |
March 2002 | June 2002 | 130 | 70,000 | Centro Cultural Telmex Theatre 1 | |
| Les Misérables Les Misérables (musical) Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo.... |
November 2002 | August 2004 | 711 | 850,000 | Centro Cultural Telmex Theatre 1 | Second longest running musical in this decade in Mexico (Recently surpassed by 'Mentiras, el musical, which opened in 2009). |
| Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story is based on the "coat of many colors" story of Joseph from the Hebrew Bible's Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice musical to be performed publicly... |
April 2004 | May 2005 | 440 | 300,000 | Centro Cultural Telmex Theatre 2 | The translation and scenery were completely different from a previous Mexican production due to a struggle to get the rights from the play. The only production in which Joseph flies. |
| Fiddler on the Roof Fiddler on the Roof Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem... |
November 2004 | March 2006 | 503 | 600,000 | Centro Cultural Telmex Theatre 1 | |
| Bésame Mucho Besame Mucho El Musical Besame Mucho is a jukebox musical with Bolero hit songs from the 1920s and 1930s. It was the first original musical created by OCESA Teatro, Mexican leader in musical theatre.-History:... |
July 2005 | October 2006 | 512 | 350,000 | Centro Cultural Telmex Theatre 2 | OCESA's First Original Production, based on popular Mexican and Cuban boleros. |
| Selena Selena Selena Quintanilla-Pérez , known simply as Selena, was a Mexican American singer-songwriter. She was named the "top Latin artist of the '90s" and "Best selling Latin artist of the decade" by Billboard for her fourteen top-ten singles in the Top Latin Songs chart, including seven number-one hits... el Musical |
May 2006 | August 2006 | 100 | 80,000 | Blanquita Theatre | OCESA's Second Original Production. |
| Hoy No Me Puedo Levantar Hoy No Me Puedo Levantar Hoy no me puedo levantar is a Spanish musical, with music and lyrics by Nacho Cano, former member of the band Mecano. Based on 32 of the band's greatest hits and named after their first single, the musical centers on a pair of impoverished musicians trying to be part of La Movida Madrileña, after... |
May 2006 | July 2007 | 425 | 500,000 | Centro Cultural Telmex Theatre 1 | |
| The Producers The Producers (musical) The Producers is a musical adapted by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan from Brooks' 1968 film of the same name, with lyrics written by Brooks and music composed by Brooks and arranged by Glen Kelly and Doug Besterman. As in the film, the story concerns two theatrical producers who scheme to get rich... |
December 2006 | October 2007 | 360 | 139,500 | Centro Cultural Telmex Theatre 2 | Produced in association with Music Theater International (MTI). |
| Beauty and the Beast Beauty and the Beast (musical) Beauty and the Beast is a musical with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice and a book by Linda Woolverton, based on the 1991 Disney film of the same name. Seven new songs were written for the stage musical... (revival) |
September 2007 | September 2008 | 414 | 600,000 | Centro Cultural Telmex Theatre 1 | This musical revival is the celebration of OCESA Teatro's 10th Anniversary. |
| Sweet Charity Sweet Charity Sweet Charity is a musical with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon. It was directed and choreographed for Broadway by Bob Fosse starring his wife and muse Gwen Verdon. It is based on Federico Fellini's screenplay for Nights of Cabiria... |
November 2008 | May 2009 | 198 | 200,000 | Centro Cultural Telmex Theatre 1 | The translation and scenery are complete different from other productions to be more fittable to Mexican audience. |
| Mentiras el musical Mentiras el musical Mentiras, el musical, is a 2009 Mexican Jukebox musical based on popular songs from the 1980s written and directed by Jose Manuel Lopez Velarde. It is produced by OCESA, with Federico Gonzalez Compean and Morris Gilbert as Executive Producers. The Musical celebrated 600 shows in November 2010, and... |
February 2009 | México Theatre | OCESA's Third Original Production. Based on popular 80's Mexican pop songs. | |||
| Mamma Mia! Mamma Mia! Mamma Mia! is a stage musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA, composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, former members of the band. Although the title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia", the plot is fictional, not... |
July 2009 | August 2010 | 400 | 400,000 | Centro Cultural Telmex Theatre 1 | |
| A Chorus Line A Chorus Line A Chorus Line is a 1975 musical about Broadway dancers auditioning for spots on a chorus line. The book was authored by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante, lyrics were written by Edward Kleban, and music was composed by Marvin Hamlisch.... |
November 2010 | May 2011 | 234 | 192,723 | Centro Cultural Telmex Theatre 1 | |
| Peter Pan Peter Pan (1954 musical) Peter Pan is a musical adaptation of J. M. Barrie's 1904 play Peter Pan and Barrie's own novelization of it, Peter and Wendy. The music is mostly by Mark "Moose" Charlap, with additional music by Jule Styne, and most of the lyrics were written by Carolyn Leigh, with additional lyrics by Betty... |
July 2011 | Centro Cultural Telmex Theatre 1 | ||||
| Si Nos Dejan | August 2011 | Centro Cultural Telmex Theatre 2 | OCESA's Fourth Original Production. Based on popular Mexican regional songs. | |||
Plays
- Confesiones de Mujeres de 30.
- Master ClassMaster ClassMaster Class is a play by Terrence McNally, with incidental music by Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, and Vincenzo Bellini.The play originally was staged by the Philadelphia Theatre Company and the Mark Taper Forum. After twelve previews, the Broadway production, directed by Leonard Foglia, opened...
. - Nosotras Que Nos Queremos Tanto.
- The Vagina MonologuesThe Vagina MonologuesThe Vagina Monologues is an episodic play written by Eve Ensler which ran at the Off Broadway Westside Theatre after a limited run at AFRICA in 1996. Ensler originally starred in the production which was produced by David Stone, Nina Essman, Dan Markley, The Araca Group, Willa Shalit, Mike Skipper...
. - Las Obras Completas de William Shakespeare Abreviadas.
- Defending the CavemanDefending the CavemanDefending the Caveman is a comedy written by American actor and comedian Rob Becker about the misunderstandings between men and women. Defending the Caveman has been seen in theaters around the world by more than eight million people in forty-five countries. It has been performed in over thirty...
. - Las Viejas Vienen Marchando.
- Todos Tenemos Problemas (Sexuales).
- ProofProof (play)Proof is a play by David Auburn originally produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club on 23 May 2000. It then went to Broadway on 24 October 2000 at the Walter Kerr Theatre, and was directed by Daniel J. Sullivan, with Mary-Louise Parker as Catherine, Larry Bryggman as Robert, Ben Shenkman as Hal, and...
. - No Más Sexo.
- Three Tall WomenThree Tall WomenThree Tall Women is a play by Edward Albee, which won the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Albee's third.-Characters:* A: She is a very old woman in her 90s. She is thin, autocratic, proud, and wealthy. She also has a mild case of Alzheimer's disease. * B: B is A's 52 year-old version, to whom she...
. - La Obra del Bebe.
- Black ComedyBlack ComedyBlack Comedy is a one-act farce by Peter Shaffer, first performed in 1965.The play is written to be staged under a reversed lighting scheme: the play opens on a darkened stage...
. - Generacion Atari.
- El Método GrönholmThe Method (2005 film)El método is a 2005 Spanish, Argentine, and Italian thriller film based on the play El método Grönholm by Jordi Galcerán and directed by Marcelo Piñeyro....
. - Orgasmos, la Comedia.
- Des-Madres.
- DoubtDoubt (play)Doubt: A Parable is a 2004 play by John Patrick Shanley. Originally staged off-Broadway at the Manhattan Theatre Club on November 23, 2004, the production transferred to the Walter Kerr Theatre on Broadway in March 2005 and closed on July 2, 2006 after 525 performances and 25 previews...
. - Visiting Mr. GreenVisiting Mr. GreenVisiting Mr. Green is a stage play by American author Jeff Baron that has been performed and lauded around the world.- Storyline :86 year old widower Mr. Green is almost hit by a car driven by young corporate executive Ross Gardiner. Found guilty of reckless driving, Ross is ordered to spend the...
. - Emociones Encontradas.
- Chicas Católicas.
- LegendsLegends (play)Legends is a comedic play written by James Kirkwood, Jr. It toured the United States with Mary Martin and Carol Channing in 1986, but never had a production on Broadway. The play concerns two aging rival film stars...
. - The Diary of Anne FrankThe Diary of Anne Frank (play)The Diary of Anne Frank is a stage adaptation of the book The Diary of a Young Girl. The play is a dramatization by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett. It opened at the Cort Theatre, Broadway, on October 5, 1955, in a production by Kermit Bloomgarden, directed by Garson Kanin and designed by Boris...
. - The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful RedheadThe Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful RedheadThe Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead is a one-woman play by Australian playwright Robert Hewett. It is presented as a series of eight individual monologues by seven characters who were affected by the actions of Rhonda Russell, the first character in the play.The play was premiered at...
. - Same Time, Next YearSame Time, Next YearSame Time, Next Year is 1975 comedy play by Bernard Slade. The plot focuses on two people, married to others, who meet for a romantic tryst once a year for two dozen years.-Plot:...
. - Fat PigFat Pig- Plot synopsis :Fat Pig tells us the story of Tom, a stereotypical professional in a large city, who falls for a very plus-size librarian named Helen. They meet in a crowded cafeteria at lunchtime and get to talking. Tom is taken with her brash acceptance of the way people see her and her...
. - August: Osage CountyAugust: Osage CountyAugust: Osage County is a darkly comedic play by Tracy Letts. It was the recipient of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play premiered at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago on 28 June 2007, and closed on 26 August 2007. Its Broadway debut was at the Imperial Theater on 4 December 2007 and...
. - Almost, MaineAlmost, MaineAlmost, Maine is a play by John Cariani, an American actor. The play is composed of nine short plays that explore love and loss in a remote, mythical place called Almost, Maine. It premiered at the Portland Stage Company in Portland, Maine where it broke box office records and garnered critical...
.
Criticism
OCESA Teatro has received complains for not offering an equal opportunity casting selection process in many of their productions. Several shows were criticized for casting famous figures in main roles, mostly actors made popular by television, only for their attraction power, even if their appearance notably miscast those roles. Also they have been criticized for creating a pool of main actors that continuously reappear in their shows, closing the doors to upcoming actors and becoming a tightly closed group. OCESA Teatro however considers itself the biggest promoter of new talent in Latin America.Also OCESA Teatro has received complains about how the company strives to recreate exactly the Broadway experience in most of their shows, leaving little freedom of expression to local directors. OCESA Teatro has responded that this is due to copyright restrictions established in the contracts of the original plays; however, despite those directors' complains, the company's most successful shows are those who have been kept faithful to their original Broadway counterparts.