Fiesta! Lyrics
Fiesta!
Chorus:We're from a fiest in there.
Buck planned it with infinite care.
The balloons are all free
But, unfortunately
There will be a small fee for the air!
Fiesta! Fiesta!
We're having such miserable fun!
Fiesta! Fiesta!
We can't wait until it is done!
If you go you had best take a tip
Don't eat very much of the dip!
It is spicy and hot
And if you want some water
Buck charges ten pesos a sip!
Fiesta! Fiesta!
The last hour felt just like a day!
Fiesta! Fiesta! How we wish we could all go away!
Song Overview
Song: "Fiesta!"
From: "Alas! Alack! Zorro's Back!" (stage musical melodrama)
If the show is a wind-up toy of villains, disguises, and public comeuppance, this number is the key in its back. The fiesta is not decoration - it is a pressure cooker. Everyone who has been lying all evening suddenly has to lie in daylight, in front of a crowd, with music insisting that everything is fine. That is when the seams split.
Review and Highlights
Quick summary
- Function in the show: Ensemble celebration that doubles as the plot's trapdoor.
- Scene purpose: Public gathering where imposture, greed, and loyalty get tested at speed.
- Stage tone: Broad melodrama with comic bite and audience-ready cues.
- What makes it different: Party surface, sharp underside - the song can laugh while quietly setting up a reversal.
The best fiestas in musical theatre do not simply announce a good time. They announce risk. Here, the party works as cover for the villain's control and as a spotlight for the villain's mistakes. A smart production treats the number like choreography for a con: smiles up front, counting in the wings. Then the rhythm tightens, the crowd gathers, and somebody slips.
Key Takeaways
- Keep the ensemble diction clean - the comedy lives in specific details, not generic cheering.
- Build a visible pecking order onstage (who pays, who serves, who collects) so the satire reads quickly.
- Let the merriment feel a little forced, as if everyone knows the bill will arrive.
Creation History
The musical is credited to playwright Tim Kelly, with music and lyrics by David Reiser, and is published for performance licensing by Pioneer Drama Service. As stated in a Doollee reference synopsis, the fiesta is the hinge where Conchita turns on Buck and the rescue can finally happen in public.
Song Meaning and Annotations
Plot
Buck Badum controls Old New Mexico, from the Hotel Cucaracha to the bank to Sheriff Toady. Alice Sweepup is stuck in the hotel system. Henry and Aunt Victoria arrive carrying a deed meant to help Alice, and Buck pushes Conchita into impersonation to keep the outcome in his hands. The fiesta gathers the town, the con starts to wobble, and the Zorro persona seizes the moment to expose the crooked order before the night ends.
Song Meaning
The meaning is party-as-proof. A fiesta is where the town rehearses what it pretends to believe: that the powerful are generous, that prices are fair, that justice exists somewhere offstage. But the lyric details turn the celebration into a receipt. When the song starts naming costs and rules, it shows you a community trained to accept exploitation as tradition. The number can sparkle, but it also documents how Buck monetizes even the smallest comforts.
Annotations
"Don't eat very much of the dip! It is spicy and hot."
This is a joke with a sting. On one level, it is a party warning. On another, it is the show pointing at scarcity: even the food comes with caution, as if pleasure itself has to be rationed. In performance, this kind of line lands best when the speaker treats it as normal, because that normality is the problem.
"And if you want some water ... Buck charges ten pesos ..."
That is the town in miniature: thirst turned into profit. The lyric does not need a lecture about corruption; it gives you a price tag. Play it plainly and the satire sharpens.
"If you go you had best take a tip ..."
The phrase suggests a local code of survival, the kind of advice you pass down because the official rules have failed you. It also makes the number feel like a guidebook to a rigged place: come for the party, keep your eyes open.
Rhythm and staging notes
The lyric style reads as list-driven and practical, which supports a busy stage picture: serving, selling, passing hats, counting coins, and pushing people into position for the next reveal. Let the rhythm move like a crowd - steady, slightly insistent, and always on the verge of turning into a chase.
Technical Information (Quick Facts)
- Song: "Fiesta!"
- Work: "Alas! Alack! Zorro's Back!"
- Artist: Stage character performance (varies by production)
- Composer: David Reiser
- Lyricist: David Reiser
- Book: Tim Kelly
- Release Date: 1995 (first produced for the musical)
- Genre: Musical; melodrama spoof
- Publisher: Pioneer Drama Service
- Language: English
- Instruments: Varies by production (often small pit or combo)
- Mood: Festive; wary; comic
- Length: Varies by production and pacing
- Track #: Varies by script edition and production order
- Music style: Ensemble party number with satirical detail
- Poetic meter: Mixed meter with repeated stresses (crowd-friendly phrasing)
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who usually sings this number?
- Most productions treat it as an ensemble feature, with lines assigned to characters who can comment on the town's rules and costs.
- Why does the fiesta matter to the plot?
- Because it forces the scheme into public view. When everyone is watching, deception has fewer hiding places.
- Is the song just a celebration?
- No. The party is a frame for control. The lyric details can reveal who is being charged, who is serving, and who is cashing in.
- What is the comic hook in the lyric style?
- Concrete specifics - what to eat, what to pay, what to watch for. The humor lands like local advice.
- How should an ensemble perform it?
- Keep the beat steady, the consonants crisp, and the stage business purposeful. The number works when the crowd looks organized by power.
- Is there a commercial cast recording?
- No widely documented commercial cast album is consistently cited in major listings for this title.
- Does the show invite audience participation?
- Some stagings have leaned into boo-and-cheer melodrama etiquette, which fits a public party scene well.
- Is this song linked to film or TV soundtrack use?
- No reliable soundtrack trail is commonly cited for this stage-work number.
Additional Info
A fiesta number can turn into wallpaper if it is staged as a generic dance break. Here, the text details keep pulling the eye back to economics: who pays for water, who can afford comfort, who gets to call the shots. According to Doollee's synopsis, Conchita's double-cross and the rescue land before the party ends, so the scene is built to convert celebration into exposure at a moment's notice.
Key Contributors
| Entity | Type | Relationship | Statement (S-V-O) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Kelly | Person | Playwright (book) | Tim Kelly wrote the book for "Alas! Alack! Zorro's Back!". |
| David Reiser | Person | Composer and lyricist | David Reiser composed the music and wrote the lyrics for the musical. |
| Pioneer Drama Service | Organization | Publisher / licensing | Pioneer Drama Service publishes and licenses the musical for productions. |
| Buck Badum | Fictional character | Town controller | Buck Badum controls the town's services and profits from everyday needs. |
| Conchita | Fictional character | Accomplice, later betrayer | Conchita helps the deception and later turns on Buck during the fiesta. |
| Alice Sweepup | Fictional character | Target of rescue | Alice Sweepup is the oppressed worker the deed is meant to protect. |
| Henry | Fictional character | Hero in disguise | Henry impersonates Zorro and uses the public gathering to break the con. |
Sources
Sources: Doollee (Dave Reiser entry and play listings), PlayDatabase play entry, OneLook verse index snippets