SEVILLE, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 16: Antonio Banderas attends The 24th Annual Latin Grammy Awards on November 16, 2023 in Seville, Spain.
World-renowned Spanish actor Antonio Banderas, famous for his stint in "The Mask of Zorro" and recurring appearance as the titular "Puss in Boots," is searching for jazz talent for his upcoming pair of Broadway-style musicals that he will be directing and debuting at a theatre in his hometown of Malaga later this year.
The multi-talented director and producer will hold the auditions for his productions on Feb. 27 in Madrid, with the application period closing on Jan. 14. Interested applicants are invited to register in the theater's website.
The productions comprise a romantic comedy and a Tony and Olivier Award-winning musical, respectively named "Touching Our Song" and "Gypsy."
Banderas is searching for understudies and an added six other performers for the formerly mentioned production, talents who can act, sing, and dance reliably well to possibly perform the music made by Marvin Hamlisch and belt out lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager.
The upcoming production is set to open in June headlined by Miquel Fernández and María Adamuz.
For "Gypsy," a renowned musical based on the memoirs of the late American burlesque icon Gypsy Rose Lee, Banderas is seeking 27 additional performers which include young ladies who can tap dance and are acrobatically athletic.
The would-be director is also searching for men who can comfortably tap into their falsetto whilst playing a variety of musical instruments.
Antonio Banderas' Return to Theatrical Endeavors
Banderas is springing back into the world of theater after his recent role in the erotic thriller produced by A24, called "Babygirl." Halina Reijn directs the film and also stars Nicole Kidman among others in a cast filled with big-name actors.
The renowned Latino actor got his start in 1979 at the ripe age of 19, moving to Madrid in pursuit of a career in acting. Starting young, Banderas struggled a bit financially and had to work as a waiter while taking in small-time modeling gigs.
During that time, the actor was able to join Spain's National Theater as part of a troupe and was once the youngest member.
Banderas' performances in the theater's productions caught the eye of Spanish writer-director Pedro Almodóvar, who consequently employed the then-young actor in his 1982 film "Labyrinth of Passion." This particular movie project was the first one that Banderas was a part of.
After that, the actor became the main face of provocative dramas in his home country and eventually migrated to Hollywood and made his debut in the 1992 movie, "The Mambo Kings."
In 1998, he partook in the now-classic "Mask of Zorro" film playing the titular character. Banderas had to train with Spain's Olympic fencing team to ace the role, which he did considering the acclaim he got after the launch of the movie.
For these upcoming theatrical ventures, on the other hand, Banderas will be making the Teatro del Soho CaixaBank his home base and is returning to his roots and flexing his decades of acting and theatrical know-how.
