If you haven’t seen the Laredo Theater Guild International (LTGI) production of Nilo Cruz’s Anna in the Tropics, there are two performances left in the run of this entertaining and very well crafted drama —Friday, April 8 and Saturday, April 9.
The sparse, intimate setting of the LTGI Shoebox Theater at Laredo College allowed the audience a proximity that was important to the telling of a drama heavily laced with the humor, frailties, and foibles of life in a family-owned Cuban-American cigar factory in 1929 Ybor, Florida.
Author Nilo Cruz, who was born in Cuba in 1960 and lives in the United States, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2003, the first Latino so honored.
SMALL CAST. BIG PERFORMANCES.
The drama comes to life with the arrival of a new lector, a person that cigar companies of that epoch hired to read aloud to their employees who hand-rolled cigars. The role of the lector, Juan Julian, was performed by Gerardo Piña, who like every member of this cast showcased a palpable personal investment in portraying a credible character.
The acting chops of Armando López and the ‘stache he grew for his character ably nailed the role of Santiago, the family patriarch. Interactions between Santiago and his stage wife Ofelia (Veronica Ramirez) brought levity to the drama and conveyed the cohesive nature of their family relationships.
Photo by Emily I. Altgelt
Pictured after Thursday evening’s performance of Anna in the Tropics are LTGI cast members Gerardo Piña,Jessica Verastigui, Tricia Cortez, and Sergio Saenz. Not pictured are Armando X. López, Veronica Ramirez, and Rafael Orduña.
Tricia Cortez, who portrayed the unhappily married daughter of Santiago and Ofelia, Conchita, delivered some of the most poignant assessments of love’s losses and its brilliant random gains in the moment in which her husband Palomo (Sergio Saenz) questions her betrayal against the specter of his own. The harnessed rage of Saenz’s Palomo ratchets up his cold, obdurate behavior before it returns to a tenderness for his wife.
Jessica Verastigui’s Marela, Conchita’s sister, offers the portrayal of a young woman
enamored of literature and one who practices rituals of Cuban folkways for good outcomes. She is convincingly soft, sweet, and principled.
The character of Cheché, Santiago’s bitter and sometimes crazed half-brother, is carried by Rafael Orduña. Cheché’s role, which is critical to the story, could have been much darker as his actions moved to their denouement.
The costumes were excellent, the moving of effects between scenes, flawless. The play was directed by Chris Morgan and produced by Karen Mejia.
There is limited seating available in the Shoebox Theater, which is located at T-30 on Hudson Road.
Tickets are $20 and are available for purchase at www.laredotheaterguild.org.
Thank you Meg. We are so happy that you liked the show.