Viva El Paso & Shakespeare

I thought this was going to be a musical involving a team of 12 people and that it would be slightly better than a high school play. I was incorrect. As soon as the show opens, all of their Viva El Paso dancers and singers come out in full force with a lot of bling — the shiniest costumes I’ve ever seen. (Also, some of the tightest white pants and shortest skirts I’ve ever seen).
The first half of the show was mostly dance routines and cultural dances, which I enjoyed. I do think that a few of the guys had some trouble holding up some of the girls, but they worked through it admirably.
There must have been a lot of Mexicans because as soon as the Mexican people appeared after the 15 minute intermission, the audience really started cheering. It is unfortunate that there were funny moments in the show that I didn’t get because I don’t know espanol just yet, but I liked that the show became more of a comedic play in the second half.
I think this is a must-​see in El Paso, not only so you know some history of El Paso, but also because this is a production involving a large group of people, some pretty complex dance moves and lots of impressive props. There was water, confetti, lasers and live animals. Live animals?! It always amazes me that shows have live animals and somehow manage to make sure that the animals don’t poop on the stage in the middle of the show. All I can say is, this was definitely much better than a high school play.

I suppose this could be a very entertaining show if you’re a tourist. But for me, the song and dance bits were very campy at times. Stereotypes were used and abused and the acting needed to be put on life support. Sadly, there were several forms of dance that did not play to the performers’ strong suits.
But where the company of dancers did shine was in the Flamenco and Ballet Folklorica portions of the show. The costumes and choreography brought some authentic culture to the show. And when you pair that with the beautiful backdrop of the canyon and the rising moon, you can’t help but enjoy yourself, at least a little bit.