“Becoming Chavela is really a love affair from one performing artist to another in a very spiritual sense of those words." - Tom King, ArtsReview Edinburgh (2023)
“Stephanie Trudeau is a one-woman tour de force as she serves up an informative and transformative docu-cabaret following the life and songs of legendary Latin American ranchera singer, Chavela Vargas, accompanied by a simple solo acoustic guitar.” - North West End
“Trudeau lent a plangent alto to a dozen of Vargas’ songs of love and more.” - QonStage
New York, NY-September 23, 2026: For three nights only, Stephanie Trudeau’s BECOMING CHAVELA, the first ranchera musical celebrating the life, music, and legacy of legendary Mexican singer Chavela Vargas, an iconic voice whose artistry and unforgettable presence continue to inspire generations, will play at Teatro Latea (107 Suffolk St., New York, NY 10002) choreographed by Ana Leon Bella, and directed by Leonard Peters. Performances are \u200b Friday, October 23 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, October 24 at 7 p.m.; and Sunday, October 25 at 4 p.m. Tickets are $25-$35 and available at https://teatrolatea.org/events/list/?tribe-bar-date=2026-10-23.
Pedro Almodóvar called Chavela Vargas "a volcano." She was a Costa Rican immigrant who dared to sing ranchera, the Mexican country music that was supposed to belong to men, and she became one of Mexico’s greatest voices. She fought alcoholism, disappeared from the stage for years, and then came back. BECOMING CHAVELA tells that story through songs of lust and longing and through her friendships with Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Elizabeth Taylor, and Almodóvar himself.
The show is set in mid-century Mexico City, back when the city was the center of Latin American culture. Chavela was well ahead of her time, and her story takes on gender, gay rights, immigration, and Mexican culture without ever feeling like a lecture.
Trudeau plays both Chavela and herself. The play starts with her own family: a Puerto Rican mother who arrived in New York as a little girl, and a Bronx childhood full of Spanish, Puerto Rican food, and Latin music. That music is what led her to Chavela. "I'm Puerto Rican, but I feel this Mexican singer in my bones," says Trudeau. The production mixes ranchera classics, Caribbean songs, and Trudeau's own original songs with dance and multimedia, and it moves between English and Spanish.
Becoming Chavela began as a cabaret that won the 2020 NYC Bistro Award. Since then it has played the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, New York City, Los Angeles and Florida, and it was performed in Spanish in Guadalajara, Mexico. After Teatro Latea, the show heads to the Bronx Music Hall on March 6 and to Lima, Peru on April 9, 10, 11, 16, 17 and 18.
The production stars Stephanie Trudeau* (Law & Order) as Chavela Vargas with Ana Leon Bella (Accredited Dancer) as Frida/Macorina, Sean Kenin Elias-Reyes as Diego/Pedro/Jose Alfredo, and Publicity by Katie Rosin/Kampfire PR.
Running Time: 90 minutes
Website: www.becomingchavela.com
Becoming Chavela has been performed at the 2022 & 2023 Edinburgh Fringe, New York City, Los Angeles, Florida, and Guadalajara, Mexico. The cabaret version of Becoming Chavela won the 2020 NYC Bistro Award.
BIOGRAPHIES
LEONARD PETERS is a writer, theatre director, dramaturg, teacher, acting and presentation coach. He has directed more than 50 productions across the United States, including, in New York City, Playwrights Horizons, The WPA Theatre, La Mama etc., Circle Repertory Company, St. Clement’s Playhouse, The Joyce Theater, St. Mark’s-in-the-Bowery, Lincoln Center, and the renowned Metropolitan Room.
STEPHANIE TRUDEAU (Playwright) has been an actress and singer for over 40 years, performing in NYC cabaret, Off-Broadway, and regional theater. She is a Fulbright Scholar and the editor/writer of The Dylan Tapes, Friends, Lovers and Players Talkin’ Early Bob Dylan. Winner of the 2020 NYC Bistro Award for Outstanding Tribute Performance, Ms. Trudeau’s performance was acclaimed at both the 2022 and 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Her award-winning short film based on her cabaret show is currently screening at film festivals.
ANA LEON BELLA (Frida/Macorina) is a dance artist with Phyllis Rose Dance Company and has taught dance history, criticism, and movement at Hunter College & Rutgers University.
SEAN KENIN ELIAS-REYES has performed in musicals such as Olivia O, From The Hip & A Bush Carol. Shakespeare credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream & Twelfth Night.
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