Real Women Have Curves, The Main Street Player’s first professional play, opened on February 3 to enthusiastic audiences and rave reviews.
Jesse Leaf from Around Town magazine said, “Josefina Lopez has dug deep into her past and the Main Street Players has given viable life to this multi-faceted ‘immigrants in search of the American Dream’ light drama, making it even more relevant today than when first written and performed in 1987. ‘Real Women’ is celebratory theater.”
“Main Street Players has been building toward its switch from community theater to professional company for many years. Yes, some small technical glitches made opening night not quite flawless. But from the work of Carlo and the design team (set designer Amanda Sparhawk, lighting designer Marcelo Ferreira, costume designer Angelina Esposito and technical director Dennis Lyzniak) to the performance of a strong cast, ‘Real Women Have Curves’ makes for an engaging, impressive transition,” said Christine Dolen, longtime theater critic for The Miami Herald.
There are still two weekends left to catch Real Women Have Curves. Remaining performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. through February 26. Tickets are $30 for adults and $25 for students, seniors, and military personnel, and may be purchased at the door thirty minutes prior to showtime, or online at www.mainstreetplayers.com. The Maini Street Playhouse is located at 6766 Main Street.
This comedic and charming play deals with the immigration experience in East Los Angeles in 1987. It takes place in a tiny sewing factory in the sweltering summer, and centers on five Mexican American women who are just barely getting by, each haunted by their immigrant status.
The youngest of the full-figured women is Ana, who has big dreams of going to college to become a writer. She writes in her journal while working at the factory, documenting the ups and downs of each character and revealing some painful truths. When the play opens, the women are working on a deadline of getting dresses ready to be sold. This puts extra pressure on Ana’s older sister, who owns the shop.
This play with a big heart is based on the playwright’s personal experiences and is a microcosm of the Latina immigrant experience. It is a play that celebrates women’s bodies, their individual and collective power, and the bonding that takes place when challenged to succeed.