BROADWAY COMES TO CALLE BASILIO BADILLO

By María Elena Velázquez Ammerman

For two nights in late November, Calle Basilio Badillo was transformed into the Great White Way as Broadway star Bianca Marroquín headlined “Marroquín: From México to Broadway and Back” at Act2PV Theater.

Accompanied by acclaimed pianist and Liberace impersonator David Maiocco, Marroquín wove an autobiographical tale of love found, lost, and found again as she performed many of her Broadway hits along with a sprinkling of time-honored classics.Marroquín’s and Maiocco’s strong chemistry belied the fact that they had met just two days prior to the performances.

The Monterrey, Nuevo Leόn native shared that she initially intended to be a ballerina, and while she was still a technical university student, she auditioned for and won a role in Mexico City’s production of Beauty and the Beast. This early success led to other roles in the Mexican productions of Rent and Chicago. She never returned to school. Broadway soon came calling and in 2002, she headed north to New York in the role of Chicago’s Roxie Hart.  

Chicago is her mainstay, having left and returned to various incarnations of the show several times over the past twenty years. She has primarily portrayed Roxie Hart, a role which she described as “the only constant in my life”. In 2021, in an unexpected twist, she accepted the role of Velma Kelly.

As a special treat, Act2PV show producer and general manager David Sabella made a brief but strong appearance as Amos, husband of Roxie Hart, in the Chicago tune “Funny Honey”.

After the show, he explained that Puerto Vallarta’s audiences do not usually see performers of Marroquín’s caliber. However, Sabella and Marroquín first met doing Chicago some twenty years ago, so that longtime connection steered Marroquín away from her typical México City to New York travels.

Marroquín’s powerful and polished vocals evoked tenderness and warmth as she shared personal stories of hard times paired with soulful renditions of classics “Make You Feel My Love” and “Over the Rainbow”.  

She expressed hope for the future in the form of a new telenovela-styled stage show entitled “Destiny of Desire” which is presently awaiting a theater home. With a slight twinkle in her eye, she explained that she will portray Fabiola, the villainess.

Marroquín’s encore further showcased her versatility as she slipped behind the piano to play and sing “Don’t Lose Faith in Me”, which she composed at age fourteen while mourning the loss of a dear friend. She mentioned she cannot read piano music, instead playing by ear.

If any criticism can be said about the show, it’s that there were actually a few empty seats each night!

For those who missed her November shows, all is not lost–Marroquín plans to return to Act2PV in late March 2025.