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'Maria's Song' is a musical drama about migrant farmworkers
By John Fleming, Times Performing Arts Critic
Suzanne Willett is known as a standup comedian, but now she has turned
her hand to playwriting with Maria's Song, which premieres this
weekend. A musical drama about migrant farmworkers in
"It is a huge departure,'' says Willett, who wrote a dozen songs for the
show that stars soprano Carmen Elisa Cancel, pictured above, as an
illegal Mexican immigrant who seeks sanctuary in a church. The drama
turns on her efforts to keep her U.S.-born son from being deported.
"I have done a lot of traveling for my comedy shows, and I would see
these workers in the fields of Central Florida and wonder about them,''
says Willett, a Tampa resident. "Three years ago, I started writing this
musical. I wanted to put a human face on the immigration issue. I wanted
to produce a socially relevant piece of work.''
Maria's Song
has a cast of nine who will perform to Willett's score on tape. The
production opens Friday and runs through Oct. 24 at Venue Theatre, 9125
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