Musical in two acts to music by The Gipsy Kings, John Cameron

Libretto by Stephen Clark, Helen Edmundson

Lyrics - Stephen Clark

New Adaptation - Christian Durham (June 2022)

Translation by Vanya Georgieva (December 2024)

© 2025 Zorro USA LLC, All Rights Reserved

First performance: 4 March 2008, Eastbourne Congress Theatre
First performance in Bulgaria: 13 January 2012, National Music Theatre, Sofia

First performance in Ruse: 26 April 2025, conductor - Dimitar Kossev, director - Ivaylo Nenov

Main characters:

Diego de la Vega / Zorro - Charismatic, charming street artist; brave man with mask, hat and sword

Luisa Pulido - a beautiful and determined young woman

Ramon de la Vega - friend and comrade of Diego

Ines - a voluptuous gypsy

Sergeant Garcia - a sergeant who faithfully served Ramon

Don Alejandro de la Vega - Governor of Los Angeles, father of Diego

Priest

Jorge - poor peasant

Gypsies, soldiers, peasants, sailors, etc.

Set in Spain and Los Angeles, California in 1805.

First act

Deep inside a cave, a group of Gypsies stops to rest for the night. While dancing and singing, they eagerly listen to their leader as he tells them an old Gypsy myth – the scandalous tale of the legendary hero Zorro.

Don Diego de la Vega, a wealthy young caballero, is sent from his home in California by his father, Don Alejandro, to a military school in Spain. He is forced to part with his childhood love, Luisa, who is also sent away by Diego’s father. At the same time, Don Alejandro announces that Diego and Luisa’s childhood friend, Ramon, will become the captain of the army, a news that pleases both Diego and Luisa. Later, in Spain, Diego escapes from school and joins a group of wandering Gypsies who play and sing in the city's outskirts. He becomes their star attraction, and after performing a few tricks for the captivated audience, he spots Luisa. Luisa convinces Diego to return to California to stop Ramon, who has become a tyrant. Inés, a Gypsy and evidently an intimate confidante of Diego, is displeased by Luisa’s arrival and decides that she and all the other Gypsies should accompany them.

After a perilous voyage to America, Diego arrives in California to find that Ramon has stripped the people of their rights and placed himself as the head of governance, declaring the death of Don Alejandro. The truth is that Don Alejandro is not dead and, in secret, is being held captive by Ramon. Ramon does not hide his cruelty. He condemns three men to death for theft – simply for adding stones to their sacks of grain in order to earn extra money for their starving families. As the men are taken away, their wives angrily express their hatred for Ramon and his treatment of the people. Witnessing the brutality of his old friend, and with the help of Inés, Diego adopts another heroic persona – Zorro – to protect the people. At the same time, in order to keep his identity hidden, he presents himself to Ramon as a fool who poses no real threat. He offers himself to Ramon as a personal servant, a move that infuriates Luisa, who begins to regret bringing Diego back.

The next day, the three men are set to be hanged. As they are led to the gallows, Luisa and the women mourn their fate and express hope that things will miraculously change. Just before the noose tightens, Zorro appears dramatically out of nowhere as their savior. He quickly manages to appear almost simultaneously as Diego, so that no one suspects him.

After another grand rescue, Zorro manages to escape from Ramon’s guards and finds himself in Luisa’s room while she is in the bath. Embarrassed, he accidentally reveals that he knows her name, but his identity remains hidden. She begins to fall in love with Zorro in the same way Diego has always been in love with her. Meanwhile, the Gypsies stir up trouble by drinking and dancing together, luring the cowardly but kind-hearted Sergeant Garcia, loyal to Ramon. Flirting and joking with Garcia, Inés soon turns him into her new admirer, while Garcia does everything he can to appear strong and brave like Zorro. However, Inés is still pining for Diego and sees Garcia merely as a source of entertainment. Initially intrigued by the idea of free wine, Ramon ultimately turns against the Gypsies and tries to stop their activities. Finally, he asserts his power by forcing himself on Luisa, the woman he desires but who hates everything he has become. Zorro, however, appears just in time to save Luisa. He forces Ramon to kneel and carves the "Z" symbol into the chest of the helplessly enraged Ramon with his rapier.

Second act

The action begins with the group of Gypsies from the prologue, who reappear on stage to continue telling the story of Zorro and perform a grand song and dance.

The story continues – Ramon reveals the full extent of his impotence – he is forever marked by the sign of Zorro. The Gypsies and peasants mock him. In a fit of rage, he declares a curfew and threatens that anyone out after the curfew will be shot. The crowd protests. Inés tells Luisa that it is too dangerous for her to stay in Los Angeles, but Luisa reassures her, knowing a place where Ramon will never be able to find her. Ramon orders the guards to shoot into the crowd. The people flee, leaving Inés and Ramon alone. She predicts that his empire will crumble and that soon his greed will consume him. Ramon walks away in denial, but her words deeply affect him.

Diego tries to advise Garcia on how to express his love for Inés, but when she arrives, Garcia becomes embarrassed and runs away. Diego asks where Luisa is. Inés tells him and reveals that she understands he loves Luisa. Diego, dressed as Zorro, finds the cave where Luisa is hiding. She confesses her feelings for Zorro, and they dance together. Diego kisses Luisa, but then pulls away. Luisa asks him why he is so afraid of his feelings, and outside the cave, Diego sadly admits that he wants to be with Luisa, but he fears he might put her life in danger.

The next day, Garcia tries to impress Inés. Ramon, still disturbed by Inés’s words, goes to confess. He soon realizes that the priest is actually Zorro, who has learned that Don Alejandro is still alive and is trying to find him. Ramon sets a trap for Zorro, but he manages to escape. Luisa goes to the Gypsy camp, where Inés transforms her into a Gypsy. Ramon bursts in and arrests Luisa. Inés calls Garcia a coward for doing nothing to stop Ramon.

Luisa is about to be executed when Zorro, accompanied by several other men dressed as Zorro, fights off the guards. Ramon presses a knife to Inés’s throat and tries to force Zorro to choose between Luisa and Inés, but Inés throws Ramon to the ground. She tells Ramon that the love between Zorro and Luisa is a love he will never understand. Ramon pulls a gun from his pocket and shoots Inés. Devastated, Zorro surrenders and is captured by the guards, while Ramon forces Luisa to agree to marry him. As Ramon leaves with Luisa, the Gypsies appear and, in deep sorrow, carry Inés’s body away.

In his prison cell, Diego complains about his failure to protect the people and blames himself for the suffering of those he loves. Garcia arrives and, acknowledging his cowardice, tells Zorro that he can take him to Don Alejandro. Meanwhile, Luisa is dressed for her wedding to Ramon. She wishes to know Zorro's true identity and laments that in order to protect her love, she must sacrifice it, as well as her own happiness.

As the wedding begins, Zorro arrives, but it is revealed that this Zorro is Don Alejandro, who confronts Ramon about his cruelty. The guards now turn against Ramon, and Don Alejandro orders his arrest. However, Ramon threatens that if they dare arrest him, he will kill Luisa. The wedding continues, but just before Luisa can give her vows, Zorro enters the chapel. During the ensuing fight with Ramon, Zorro reveals his true identity to Ramon and begs him to stop fighting, saying that they are brothers. Ramon seems to agree, but then pulls out a small knife. Diego dodges the blade and causes Ramon to fall on his own knife. Ramon is fatally wounded and dies.

Diego is distressed by what he has done when Luisa and Don Alejandro enter. Luisa, seeing that Zorro is without his mask, asks him to show her his face. He does, and Luisa is shocked to discover that Zorro is Diego, but despite this revelation, she declares that she loves him. They kiss and embrace as everyone celebrates.

History of creation

"Zorro" is a musical with music by Gipsy Kings and John Cameron, based on a libretto by Steven Clark and Helen Edmundson, with lyrics by Steven Clark. The plot is inspired by the 2005 novel by Chilean author Isabel Allende, who herself drew inspiration from the 1919 novella "The Curse of Capistrano" by Johnston McCulley. There is also a distinct influence from the 1998 film "The Mask of Zorro." The premiere of the musical took place at the Congress Theatre in Eastbourne, with five performances between March 4 and 8, 2008, after which it moved to the West End in July. "Zorro" remained on the stage at the Garrick Theatre for nearly nine months. It has since been produced in many countries, including Israel, Japan, South Korea, China, Russia, Brazil, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, France, and also in a national UK tour.

More than 200 years ago, on the shores of California, the legend of Zorro was born. On the edge between the mystical and the real, between love and suffering, between the righteous fury of the people and the oppression of dictatorship, Zorro's story juggles with life and death as if only God can truly control them. The captivating hero behind the mask appears where there is a struggle for a life of dignity, but also a place for longed-for love. With a single goal – to awaken minds, hearts, and hopes for a happy and shared future.

The musical "Zorro" is an inspiring adventure in which the timeless story of the hero comes to life on stage to the sounds of the most popular songs by the Catalan virtuosos, Gypsy Kings. The musical has been staged in several major world capitals and has received five nominations for the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award.

Caught in a whirlwind of flamenco rhythms, unforgettable voices, masterful swordplay, and even a touch of magic, the audience is treated to a true sensory enchantment.