Rebellion and seduction with "Real Women Have Curves"
The arrival of this delightful new musical on Broadway couldn’t have been more timely. Based on a play by Josefina López staged in 1990, also the source of a film made in 2002, “Real Women Have Curves” deals with a family of undocumented Mexican immigrants, Carmen and Raul, who have settled in Boyle Heights, a historic Latino neighborhood in Los Angeles, where they live quietly with their two daughters, Estela, who is managing an underground textile factory, and Ana, who has been accepted to pursue her studies at Columbia University in New York, where she is anxious to go, and whose main goal is to become a journalist.
Estela has just received a special command from the factory’s owner, Mrs. Wright, who needs 200 women dresses within three weeks. With the help of her mother, whose idea it was to help her run the factory, and five other Mexican dressmakers also undocumented, Rosalí, Pancha, Prima Flaca, Prima Fulvia and Itzel, Estela begins to fill the command, knowing that it will take days and nights, virtually without interruptions, to create so many dresses. Meanwhile, Ana, who writes occasional articles for a small local newspaper, tries to keep secret from her parents her own desire to move to New York, while she is dealing at the newspaper with another would-be journalist, Henry, also eager to pursue his own studies in Pennsylvania, with whom she eventually falls in love and him with her.
Three weeks later, Mrs. Wright’s unusual command is ready, but when she tries to avoid paying the hardworking dressmakers, Ana tells her she is writing an article on the whole project and will include negative comments about people placing commands and failing to pay for them. Mrs. Wright pays Estela for the work done, and Ana finally mentions to her mother that she wants to go to Columbia. Carmen, who understands that her daughter’s desire is the key to her future, agrees to see her go.
Against the bright backdrops designed by Arnulfo Maldonado, the musical, performed in English with occasional vocal outbursts in Spanish that give it more credibility, as do some of the musical numbers that enable the cast to perform in both languages, starts slowly but rapidly develops into an exhilarating display of active scenes, with the fast-paced staging by Sergio Trujillo lifting it up to high levels of exuberant entertainment. Adding their own touch to the vibrant vitality emanating from it are the endearing songs created by Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez, many of them reflecting the exciting tempi of Mexican music, with some like “If I Were a Bird”, “Already Know You”, “Oye Muchacha”, “Adios Andres”, and “Life Is Like a Dance” among those that prove most attractive and seduce the audience with their joyful expressions. Most notable among them, however, is the title song, in which the dressmakers strip from their outfits down to their underwear, revealing that “Real Women Have Curves”, a striking riot and a seductively imaginative surprise.
The cast, which consists almost entirely of several gifted actresses making their Broadway debut, is up to these standards of uplifting quality, with Tatiana Cordoba super delicious as the active Ana, supported by Florencia Cuenca as Estela, Justina Machado as Carmen, Aline Mayagoitia as Itzel, and Mason Reeves as Henry. The colorful settings by Arnulfo Maldonado and costumes by Wilberth Gonzalez and Paloma Young add their own beautiful touch to what is after all a surprisingly irresistible musical.
Music Supervision: Nadia DiGiallonardo • Music Direction: Roberto Sinha • Direction and Choreography: Sergio Trujillo • Set Design: Arnulfo Maldonado • Costume Design: Wilberth Gonzalez and Paloma Young • Lighting Design: Natasha Katz • Sound Design: John Shivers • Video Design: Hana S. Kim • With: Tatianna Córdoba (Ana García), Justina Machado (Carmen García), Florencia Cuenca (Estela García), Mauricio Mendoza (Raúl), Jennifer Sánchez (Rosalí), Carla Jimenez (Pancha), Aline Mayagoitia (Itzel), Shelby Acosta (Prima Flaca), Sandra Valls (Prima Fulvia), Mason Reeves (Henry) and others
Cover photo: Julieta Cervantes