Viva! El Paso Opens at McKelligon Canyon

This is a performance my wife and I are determined to go and see this summer despite the controversies surrounding the production:

Like the history it portrays, the musical “Viva! El Paso” has endured its share of controversies, scandals and bad blood.

Its 34th season, which opens today at McKelligon Canyon Amphitheater, is no different.

The new, 22-performance run comes amid allegations of various “misdeeds,” as one unidentified former board member put it last month on a KFOX newscast, including failure to file documents with the IRS to keep its nonprofit status.

Several former board members filed complaints last summer with the IRS, Texas Attorney General’s office and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

Board President Luz Ramos couldn’t be reached for comment, but earlier told the television station that the El Paso Association for the Performing Arts, the

nonprofit that produces “Viva!,” only had documentation for the past two years and that an accountant is “building our books.”Marco Alferez, the show’s principal choreographer, was indicted last fall on charges of possessing and distributing child pornography. He pleaded not guilty. The former Irvin High School dance teacher’s trial will start Aug. 19.

The show has had its share of black clouds, including the forced departure of founders Hector Serrano and David Mills in 2002, declining attendance (it dropped from 52,000 in 2002 to 38,000 in 2003), and reduced budgets.  [El Paso Times]

More on this topic can be read at the link, but here is the time and ticketing information for those interested in attending Viva! El Paso:

You can read more about McKelligon Canyon at this link.