Act 2 of “Malinalli,” a musical about the conquest of the Aztecs written by UTRGV creative writing Lecturer II Robert Paul Moreira and co-composed by junior music major Josiah Esquivel, will be performed from 8 to 10 p.m. Thursday at the PlainsCapital Bank Theater in the Student Union on the Edinburg campus.
Also known as La Malinche, Malinalli is a Nahua woman who played a vital role in the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. She was also the interpreter and adviser for Hernán Cortés, the conquistador.
“The musical is based on the conquest of the Aztecs,” Moreira said. “It is sort of dramatizing the events that led up to the conquest of the Aztecs.”
Moreira wrote the story and the lyrics. He also wrote the music, with help from Esquivel.
“I have a co-composer [Josiah Esquivel] who adds the meat to the bone, so to speak,” he said. “I play guitar and I write songs, but I don’t read music, so having him come in and help add substance to everything has been amazing and a real privilege to work with somebody who knows so much about music. He composed some of the music for the musical, but the bulk [of it] is mine.”
Moreira first became interested in theater when he listened to “Jesus Christ Superstar.” At the time he heard it, he was in high school writing music and songs. He was amazed at how one could tell a story through a play while also using lyrics and music.
“That was the inspiration for me to look for a story of my own that I could develop into the musical that is ‘Malinalli,’” he said.
To develop a story of his own, he looked at his cultural background for inspiration.
“I write fiction, I write plays and my influence for something like this [is] my personal history as a Cuban-Mexican American,” Moreira said. “Also, the story of the conquest and the different characters involved: Moctezuma, Cuauhtémoc and most importantly, Malinalli. A lot of people know [that story], especially living in the [Rio Grande] Valley, but I don’t think they know the intricate relationships these people had and how it intersects with our identity as Latinos today.”
Additionally, he seeks to help the audience reconnect with their own culture as well.
“I’m hoping that the story allows for people to [know] where our notions of identity have come from and how these characters are important to know about, including the Spaniards,” Moreira said. “We are a product of all of the good stuff and bad stuff that happened as a result of the conquest of the Aztecs.”
Mass communication junior Destinee Lopez plays Tecuichpo, Moctezuma’s daughter, in the production.
After seeing advertisements for the role around school, she auditioned and has been preparing for the role for about three months. Preparation for the role included rigorous vocal training.
This is Lopez’s first role in a production.
“I was in theater productions in high school and choir,” she said. “I always thought it was cool and would be something new to try out for at UTRGV.”
Lopez is grateful for her role and appreciates having the opportunity to retell a story that is very symbolic to her culture.
“This [play] means a lot to me, especially as a Mexican-American person, because it’s really telling a story that hasn’t been told before,” she said.
She looks forward to seeing how the audience reacts and seeing if their preconceptions about Moctezuma and the Aztec people change after seeing the show.
Another cast member, Princess Chavez, a junior theatre major with a concentration in performance, plays Malinalli.
Her preparation also includes an emphasis on singing, both on and off stage.
“It’s a lot of singing,” Chavez said. “We do vocal warmups [at the beginning of] every rehearsal. At home, we have the tracks available to us, so every time there is a new change, we have them directly to practice.”
She has been involved in theater since elementary school and has previously starred in UTRGV’s production of “In the Heights” and has done sound design for the recently produced “Barefoot in the Park.” Additionally, she is working on another show, “The Witches,” which will premiere in 2019.
Chavez encourages the campus community to attend the showing, especially the one that will take place in the spring since it will be both Act 1 and Act 2.
“[They should] definitely [attend] our spring showing,” she said. “We’ll be doing both acts, so it’s going to be the actual play at large.”
Moreira appreciates the hard work done by the crew and the directors to make his story come to life.
“I would like to say thank you to all of the organizations who have supported us so far, the College of Fine Arts, the Office of Global Engagement, the Mexican American Studies [program], the B3 Institute, the Student Union,” he said.
Moreira said he also would like to thank Esquivel; the co-directors, Michaela Gomez and Nallely Pitones; and, the cast.
Admission to the concert workshop performance of Act 2 is free.
