THEATRE RESPONSE: ANNA IN THE TROPICS

Last night I had the great pleasure of watching TheatreWorks’ production of Nilo Cruz’s Anna In The Tropics. I have never seen a bad production at TheatreWorks and I sincerely doubt I ever will. This production rates very highly. Not only was the acting & production values top-notch but the play itself was borderline genius. Nilo Cruz has found a most interesting setting for Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina - a cigar rolling company in Tampa, Florida. As the play progresses we see each character in Tolstoy’s famous book unfold before our very eyes.

Director Amy Gonzalez & Casting Director Leslie Martinson have assembled a first-rate leading cast. Vilma Silva (pictured above) as Conchita, the woman who longs to be loved once again after being married to her cheating husband for years is spectacular in the role. Her longing for self-esteem and the passion she holds within was felt all through the theatre. When she asks that the lector Juan Julian cut her hair and place it in the book I shed tears just from looking at her face. It was an electric moment on-stage.

The rest of the cast does a fine job in each of their roles. George Castillo (pictured above) shines as Palomo, Conchita’s husband whose life changes after seeing the effects of the book on his wife and eventually himself. Tommy A. Gomez is creepy & sinister as the evil Cheche who kills the lector at the end of the play (to the audience’s great surprise.) As the older married couple Apollo Dukakis & Alma Martinez are paired well together and their on-stage chemistry is wonderfully felt.

As Juan Julian, the lector that comes and changes everyone’s life, David DeSantos is captivating although I felt his love scene with Conchita didn’t have the right passion it needed. As Marela, the younger daughter, Isabelle Ortega was a real scene-stealer and her rape scene was devastating to watch. What can I say about this cast - simply phenomenal.

Like any other TheatreWorks production the production values are simply amazing. As we walked into the theatre the sounds of Cuban music is heard and immediately takes you to Florida. The scenic design by Duke Durfee was sublime. The set was so playable and the main room where the factory was set was incredibly detailed. Michael Palumbo’s lighting was effective and subtle as it needed to be. An interesting touch was Conchita & Palomo’s scene in Act II and Juan Julian in the background - the lighting effect was stunning.

I am convinced that Fumiko Bielefeldt is a genius. Her costume design was authentic to the setting and the costume that Marela wears as Anna Karenina made the audience audibly sigh. The production also benefitted from the expertise of Jose R. Sanchez - the cigar rolling consultant. Almost every actor had to learn some aspect of cigar rolling and it seemed that the actors had learned this skill many years ago - it seemed flawless.

I didn’t know what to expect with this show as I didn't know a lot about it but I am thrilled I got the chance to see their final performance. Nilo Cruz beautifully captured the longing to be somewhere else - to have the life that you always dreamed. The character of Conchita summed up the evening for me - she says "Actors surrender" and I fully surrendered to Anna In The Tropics.