‘ROSE’ BLOOMS
WORK-IN-PROGRESS MUSICAL, 36 YEARS IN THE MAKING, WILL GET A STAGED READING AT SAN DIEGO REP
Back in 1985, actormusician Federico Lanuza and composer Cynthia Morales came up with an idea to write a musical based on the harrowing and inspiring stories that they heard from Los Angeles schoolchildren and their parents who had immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico in search of a better life. Federico grew up in Tijuana and Cynthia was a migrant field worker in her youth, so the married couple felt a deep connection to these stories.
But after developing several songs, the couple put their project on the shelf, where it would sit for more than 30 years until their daughter, Celeste Lanuza, dusted it off and dedicated herself to bringing their musical, “The Desert Rose,” to life. This work in progress will be performed in a one-nightonly staged reading Monday at the Lyceum Theatre in San Diego. Co-produced by San Diego Repertory Theatre, the Rep’s playwright-in-residence Herbert Siguenza and Lanuza Productions, “The Desert Rose” will feature 11 actorsingers and a live band.
Celeste Lanuza, who grew up in San Diego and co-wrote the book and score, is serving as choreographer and playing the musical’s lead role. Her father, Federico Lanuza, will play keyboard in the band.
“The Desert Rose” is a full-length musical about Rosalinda, the 17-year-old daughter of migrant workers from Mexico who dreams of someday becoming an international singing star. She battles evil forces in her struggle to achieve her dream while fighting to hang on to her Latina identity and values in a music industry that homogenizes and hypersexualizes teen pop stars. The musical
features an eclectic score of cumbia, blues rock, Mexican Indigenous, country, Latin jazz, rock cha cha, reggaeton, flamenco and classical music.
“The musical gives insight into the everyday generational challenges that are faced by some of the essential migrant farmworkers and Mexican immigrants who have tenacity and real dreams and the intelligence to pursue them,” she said.
Lanuza is an actor, dancer, singer, writer, choreographer and teacher who is now working on her dissertation on the Latina body in performance and the politics of representation. Locally, she has performed at the Old Globe, La Jolla Playhouse, San Diego Opera and San Diego Rep, including in the Rep’s recent production of “Mother Road.”
Lanuza said she always wanted to bring her parents’ musical to life but didn’t have the opportunity until a few years ago, when she was living and working in New York. To make the musical’s story more contemporary, Lanuza said she began expanding and updating the script, but her parents’ original vision is intact.
A few months later, she reached out to Siguenza in San Diego and asked if he’d consider helping her further develop the musical. In
January 2020, “The Desert Rose” had a reading at the Rep followed by a concert presentation in New York in March 2020, just before the pandemic arrived. Since then, the musical has undergone further work over Zoom at San Diego Rep. Lanuza said she is honored to be working with Siguenza and the Rep’s other artistic leaders, Sam Woodhouse and Maria Patrice Amon. Besides producing the show and co-writing the script, Siguenza is directing the production and performing in the cast.
“San Diego Rep really pulls all of our heartstrings because they predominately focus on Latinx stories. They’re one of the only theaters in the country who brings those voices to the forefront.”
The staged reading of “The Desert Rose” is at 7 p.m. Monday at the Lyceum Theatre, 79 Horton Plaza, San Diego. Admission is free, but reservations are required by emailing thedesertrosemusical @gmail.com or visiting https://bit.ly/3EiroRT.