Kiss Me, Catalina

Oliveras shines in this powerful sequel to West Side Love Story and loose riff on Cole Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate. Catalina Capuleta and her sisters have just beaten their archrivals in San Antonio’s Battle of the Mariachi Bands, and Catalina is invited to sign with Padua Records to write music for superstar Patricio Galán. Patricio is droolworthy, but Catalina’s got one rule: never date a mariachi. Her mariachi birth father abandoned Catalina and her sister, Blanca, as children and, shortly thereafter, their mother was deported to Mexico—events that still haunt Catalina. Though the sisters found a loving home—and a family band—with the Capuletas, Catalina has never wavered in her determination to keep male musicians at arm’s length. But as Catalina gets to know the real Patricio (who has a contentious relationship with his own father, an aging mariachi superstar), her conviction wavers. Oliveras makes the couple’s explosive chemistry palpable and she has a sure hand with the complex family dynamics. Meanwhile, an apparent betrayal and the unexpected return of someone from Catalina’s past provide ample third act drama. This multilayered tale is impossible to resist. [em]Agent: Rebecca Strauss, DeFiore & Co. (Nov.) [/em]