Copyright 1993 Pacific Press Ltd.   
                                         The Vancouver Sun 
                                  May 1, 1993, Saturday, 1* EDITION 
SECTION: ENTERTAINMENT; Pg. E7 LENGTH: 763 words 
HEADLINE: Kiss and Dare: Brent Carver and Spider Woman face a big 
challenge - Broadway BYLINE: JAMIE PORTMAN; SOUTHAM NEWS DATELINE: New York 
BODY:    It's was one year ago this week that Brent Carver and 
his fellow cast 
members gathered at a Toronto rehearsal hall to begin
work on a a challenging new musical called Kiss Of The Spider Woman. 
And now, following successful runs in Toronto and London where the show 
picked up the coveted Evening Standard Drama
Award, the Canadian-produced show has recrossed the Atlantic - this time 
to New York. 
"It's been a long and extraordinary journey," says Carver, who is about to 
make his Broadway debut in his critically acclaimed
performance as an imprisoned homosexual window dresser who retreats into 
fantasy to escape the horror of his situation. 
A new cast featuring Carver's old Stratford Festival colleague Jeff Hyslop 
has taken over the London run. Meanwhile, the
original players - headed by Carver, Anthony Crivello and Broadway legend 
Chita Rivera, who plays the illusory Spider
Woman of Carver's imagination - have been busy in New York, polishing up 
the show during a week-long rehearsal period
under the watchful eye of director Harold Prince. 
This week, they're further refining it in a series of public previews. 
Carver knows that clear sailing in London and Toronto does not necessarily 
guarantee a similar reception on Broadway where a
handful of critics can make or break a show. 
The other night, he attended and enjoyed the official Broadway opening of 
Blood Brothers, the Willy Russell musical that has
been a hit in London for six years. But the reviews the following morning 
were devastating. 
So how does Carver feel as The Kiss Of The Spider Woman prepares for its 
official launching Monday at the BroadhurstTheatre? 
"It is a mixture of emotions," the Canadian actor says during a late 
afternoon interview in his dressing room. "It's a cross
between anticipation, a kind of nervousness, and a kind of calm which 
hopefully involves as much acceptance of the outcome aspossible. 
"I suppose," he adds gently, "it's a matter of whatever will be will be." 
For Carver, the big concern has been to maintain his own high standards 
after being involved with the vulnerable yet complex
character of Molina for more than a year. 
"The role still requires profound concentration - not to keep myself from 
going stale or becoming bored, but because thematerial itself demands it." 
Furthermore, a year-long involvement with the character has made Carver 
increasingly aware of the complexities of a show
based on the multi-textured Manuel Puig novel about a gay prisoner (Carver)
, his revolutionary cellmate (Crivello). 
"I'm still discovering new things about this show. I keep seeing new 
connections and new insights, and I'm still saying to myself -
that's really interesting." 
But because of the intensity of the role, the character of Molina poses a 
special challenge to Carver - he's acutely aware of the
physical and emotional toll such an assignment can impose. 
"Performing this part for seven months - day in, day out - can be exhausting. 
"So the real challenge is to maintain the stamina that is required to 
bring it off." So how does he cope? 
"I sleep a lot. I eat sensibly. I take care of myself. You try to live a 
normal life as much as you can, but everything you do is
dictated by those eight shows - six evening and two matinees - that you do 
a week. 
"Ultimately, your life revolves around those performances, because you do 
have a responsibility to the show and to your
colleagues. In London, I used to revel in having Sunday off when I could 
just be on my own and go for these long walks onHampstead Heath." 
The show Broadway audiences will be seeing is essentially the one unveiled 
in Toronto last summer, Carver says. Songwriters
John Kander and Fred Ebb have added one new second-act song for Rivera, 
and playwright Terence McNally has done minor
fine tuning to the book of the show to ensure that it meshes more 
effectively with the music. 
The show's director Hal Prince suggested last year that Kiss Of The Spider 

Woman could make an international star out of
Carver. Doing the show in London was a major career boost - especially 
after he received a coveted Olivier nomination forbest performer." 
Carver is more realistic. He doesn't know what the future will hold. He 
gave up his apartment in Toronto last year because he
simply didn't know how long he would be away from home. But he can't 
imagine himself living anywhere but Canada. 
Assuming that Kiss Of The Spider Woman is a hit, he remains committed to 
it at least through the summer. "And then, I'm
looking forward to a good, long rest." 
GRAPHIC: STEP INTO MY WEB: Brent Carver plays Molina in Kiss of the Spider 
Woman LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: May 3, 1993