The American Repertory Theater has another big hit in the making with Real Women Have Curves: The Musical! (Book by Lisa Loomer, additional material by Nell Benjamin. The show opened recently to excited crowds and is introducing a new generation of people to the story of big dreamer, Ana Garcia. The musical is significantly different from the 2002 award-winning film (Josefina Lopez and George Lavoo’s screenplay based on the play by Josefina Lopez) in all the right ways. Aside from it being a musical, the story has been updated and some of the interactions with Ana’s overly protective mother have been made more palatable, possibly resulting in a product that’s somewhat less realistic in its hopefulness but makes for a good play. Real Women Have Curves is an empowering story that looks at the immigrant experience and what it means to dream big dreams and to truly be yourself when life throws you curves.
The musical is set in 1987 Los Angeles and 18-year-old Ana has just graduated high school and is ready to start an internship before she heads off to college in New York. Her dreams must be put on hold so that she can help her family in their garment factory. Ana’s mother expects her to sacrifice her dreams the way she herself had done for her family. Ana is faced with a choice, to follow the path she wants, or lay down her dreams for her family.
Actor Sandra Valls said “I play Ana’s queer cousin, Fulvia. I am so grateful for this role. Representation matters.” When asked about her favorite memory from the production she answered, “I have so many. But my very favorite was the very first time we danced the Curves number and rehearsed the disrobing down to our underwear. It was a closed rehearsal but still. This was huge for me. I’ve always loved my body but, like so many other people, I have had reservations about showing certain parts. I don’t ever wear sleeveless shirts nor tight clothes. I never thought this moment would be so empowering. This moment…this-is-me-take-it-or-leave-it moment…this-is-my body-and-I-love-it moment! I love it. Now, I have great love for my body now. It changed me. I hope it does the same for the audience.
The mother in the film version is withholding and cruel, lashing out for no apparent reason, never hesitating to put Ana down. This has been significantly toned down in the musical leaving a vacuum for an antagonist. In the musical this was filled by cutthroat businesswoman, Mrs. Wright played by Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer who plays a much larger role in this production than her counterpart in the film. Gonzalez-Nacer had a delightful musical number with some of the best choreography of the entire show.
There were several stand-out performers in this production. Lucy Godínez was a magnetic force as Ana. Satya Chavez stood out as Izel, a young undocumented immigrant who works in the garment factory. She had a beautiful song about being a bird flying free that was mixed with the perfect amount of humor and hope. Carla Jimenez stood out as Pancha who has excellent comedic timing and a powerful singing voice. Florencia Cuenca was pitch perfect as Estela, Ana’s older sister and the owner of the garment factory. Mason Reeves made for an adorably awkward love interest as Henry. His dance moves blew away the audience spotlighting the unique choreography by Sergio Trujillo who did double duty as choreographer and director. Justina Machado was the stand-out performer as Ana’s overprotective, goading mother. She managed to make the character sympathetic with her complex acting and compelling singing.
Jennifer Sanchez, who plays Rosalie, said of the preproduction time leading up to the show, “The great thing about being with a project since the beginning is being able to watch it shift and grow, which is such a unique opportunity. It also allows room for input from the actor and that type of collaboration is the dream. But I knew when I heard the first demos (from our composers Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez) that it was a really beautiful and special piece.” When asked about the pre production time, Carla Jiminez who plays Pancha said it was “Stressful! I haven’t done a stage show for a long time. It’s been years of being on a studio set, it was a little scary getting back to theater, but also exciting. “
A big theme in this musical is illegal immigration. Ana’s parents are in the US illegally and rely on her to deal with landlord’s and institutions. The threat of ICE raids or being picked up while going about their daily business looms large over the family and workers at the garment factory. It’s timely subject matter even though the musical is set during the Reagan era. When one of the characters is captured by immigration officials and held in detention Ana goes to visit. Ana states that she is a legal citizen and the guard sneers “you all smell the same to me!”
The music in the production is excellent and memorable. The songs linger in the audience’s mind, and they may find themselves humming some of the tunes long after the show is over.
The play features an original score by Joy Huerta, a Grammy Award-winning artist (who is also known for being half of the Mexican pop due Jesse&Joy) as well as Benjamin Velez. The show had singular lyricism with a song that went from singing of juggling, to hustling, to struggling, the words rhyming and with notable lyrics such as “in this familia we have blood thicker than mole.”
This show is bound to follow in A.R.T’s Jagged Little Pill and Waitress’ footsteps and find its way to Broadway where the music and the choreography, clever sets, wonderful acting, and the heartwarming story will ensure a long and successful run. There is a schedule available at https://americanrepertorytheater.org of access performances with ASL Interpretation, audio described, open captioned, relaxed, and Spanish captioning to ensure everyone can enjoy the show.
