The Butterfly’s Evil Spell
The Butterfly’s Evil Spell
Adapted from the play by Federico Garcia Lorca
Developed by the Ensemble
Music by Jeremy Douglass
May 7 – Jun. 1, 2025
Shimberg Playhouse, Straz Center
Tickets
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Run Time
Hands down, the very best way you can save money on Jobsite shows is with one of our season ticket packages.
Jobsite offers special ticket discounts for group ticket sales and for special members of the community (military, seniors, etc.)
Jobsite Theater does not offer advisories about subject matter, as sensitivities vary from person to person. If you have any questions about content, age-appropriateness or stage effects (such as strobe lights or theatrical fog) that might have a bearing on patron comfort, please contact us by email or phone at 813.476.7378.
Single ticket prices listed ($29.50) are base-line prices. Prices for individual performances will increase based on demand.
What It's About
Who hasn’t desired that which they believe themselves unworthy? Wanted a thing we know we can never have? The Butterfly’s Evil Spell deals not only with frustrated love but the power of nature, rebirth and transformation, and the virtue of the most humble among us.
Devised in Jobsite’s captivating style as expressed in Shockheaded Peter, Gorey Stories, and Jobsite’s Alice, this imaginative English-language adaptation of Federico Garcia Lorca’s first play (El Maleficio de la Mariposa) fuses live music, visual art, puppetry, theater magic, and aerial arts into a thrilling theatrical experience. García Lorca’s mystically poetic world of beetles, fireflies, and other magical creatures is disrupted when a hypnotic, wounded butterfly enters their dewdrop paradise. A young beetle is cast under a love spell, but a hungry scorpion is sure to shake things up in this timeless tale of beauty and desire.
We know to some a love story featuring colorful bug puppets sounds like it must be for kids or at the very least would just be silly, but that’s not the case here — even though we’re surely encouraged to laugh at some of these characters quirky ways. García Lorca intentionally chose insects as his symbolic mouthpiece (“Why do you look down on Nature’s most negligible creatures?”) to allow us access to his pain and fiercely invests his genius into this allegorical world. In conservative and authoritarian Spain, his mere existence was dangerous and the 20-year-old poet would later be assassinated, shot by Nationalist forces as Franco came to power — not just for his political views but likely for his personal life.
Sublimely alluring, haunting, lingering, invigorating: García Lorca’s carefully crafted poetry is given all-new life in this adaptation devised by the Jobsite Ensemble with original music from Jeremy Douglass, choreography by Alexander Jones, under the direction of David Jenkins. Douglass, Jones, and Jenkins are the award-winning braintrust behind last summer’s blockbuster production of THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, which won a total of 8 Best of the Bay, BroadwayWorld, Theatre Tampa Bay, and Watermark WAVE Awards.
García Lorca’s inventive symbolist comedy drew inspiration from Yeats and Maeterlinck, and while it may have been ahead of its time for 1920, many aspects of its style and content became distinguishing features of his more mature dramas in Blood Wedding, Yerma, and The House of Bernarda Alba.“Is this appropriate for kids?”
While Jobsite never offers direct age recommendations since we understand taste and sensitivities are subjective and vary, we want to underscore that this show uses puppets, but it is not designed as “children’s theater.” Those who know the shows mentioned at the top of the description will understand the aesthetic we are playing with.
We never recommend any Jobsite performance for children 5 or younger, and this show does address themes of love and death that may simply be above some young folks’ heads. Or not. Please write in if you have specific questions about the show that may help you make an informed decision for your group.
Critic Reviews
… a new breath of life … Jobsite fuses together the mediums of live music, visual art, puppetry, theatre magic, and aerial arts into a thrilling theatrical experience … no matter where the state of the world lies, there is always room to make beautiful, captivating and thought-provoking art. The humans that make up not only the company of performers, but the crew behind the scenes do just that. – BroadwayWorld
News
Cast & Crew
- David Jenkins – Director
- Jeremy Douglass – Composer, Music Director, Additional Lyrics
- Alexander Jones – Choreography
- Chris Giuffre – Technical Director
- Jaryn McCann – Stage Manager
Cast
- William Alejandro Barba – Alacrancito
- Jeremy Douglass – Accompanist
- Kathryn “Katie” Huettel – Sylvia, et al.
- Melía Lorenz – Nigromántica, et al.
- Jessy Julianna – Doña Escarabajo, et al.
- Nicholas Perez-Hoop – Curio
- Katrina Stevenson – Butterfly
Crew
- Jo Averill-Snell – Lighting Designer
- Joy Cadman – Assistant Lighting Designer
- Chris Giuffre – Scenic Designer
- Skylar Jay – Scenic Artist
- Eric Leas – Scenic Associate
- Spencer P. Meyers – Puppet Designer and Construction
- Sebastian Paine – Technical Apprentice
- Katrina Stevenson – Costume Designer, additional Puppet Construction
Production
- David Jenkins – Producing Artistic Director
- Jessy Julianna – Dramaturg
- Greg Newcomb – Key Art
- Shawn Paonessa – Online Producer
- Jena Rashid – Producing Associate
- Nicole Jeannine Smith – Producing Associate
Patron Reviews
Opening night was fantastic. This strange buggy world filled with beautiful words and ethereal music was a fabulous night at the theater. This is another Jobsite creation – like Alice and Shockheaded Peter – the unique collection of art and music and words and, of course, PUPPETS. Get out to the theater. In these times, particularly, you need it and so does the theater. – Brad Casey
Bravo to the beautiful creative souls who brought The Butterfly’s Evil Spell to life. The first song moved me to tears getting to witness living, breathing, art created by this collective of brilliantly talented humans. This production is Jobsite doing what Jobsite does best and why I’m proud to call this my theatre home for the last ten years. The world is kinda challenging to exist in right now, so it was really nice to escape into this tiny, colorful world of bugs with really big, beautiful feelings. I hope you get a chance to experience it for yourself. 
– Colleen Cherry
Beautifully done!! – Mimi Topke
So amazing!! Great show, beautiful story – Pamela Knab Surovich
I was teary eyed! This was beautiful and poignant, so perfectly delivered. Everyone gave an impeccable performance. Bravo! – Angela Hudec
the 1970s theater kid buried deep in my soul, wanted to eat it with a spoon. Every aspect was lush with meaning. The casting was brilliant … It is amazing on so many levels! We are still discussing it all the way home. – Clare Ward-Jenkins
Took my mom for Mother’s Day and we had a great time. It was such a treat to see that kind of work happening here! it’s exactly the kind of theatre I crave and make, and I don’t get to see it often in this area. – Victoria Rios
THE BUTTERFLY’S EVIL SPELL at Jobsite Theater was fantastic! The set and lighting work together perfectly to create immersive, trippy visuals throughout. Jeremy Douglass’ score and accompaniment sets an eery tone which complements the whimsical nature of the piece well. All of the actors do a great job of making each puppet distinct and interesting, with a standout performance from William Alejandro Barba as Alacráncito. — Will Rickard
The ending is beautiful, perfect and touching and it is performed perfectly. This is challenging material, both challenging to adapt and challenging for the audience, weaned on 15 years of jukebox musicals and jukebox bio musicals to deal with. Despite any caveats I have with the production Jobsite is to be applauded for doing this … This is a show you will have to think about. I didn’t give an immediate response or review, and nobody should have, without thinking about it and digesting it for a few days. It is as much an “artistic event” as it is a play with music …This show should be seen, it’s short, the price is more than reasonable. Just go in realizing it is different. This isn’t MJ the musical. This isn’t another tired Shakespeare comedy. Be open and accepting that you are going to see something different and you will be rewarded, your mind will be opened. — David Hood
My husband and I had a phenomenal time at the performance this past Sunday. All of your voices were lovely and I absolutely loved the puppets. Keep the amazing work! – Kelly Cawley
