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Cine, Cultura

Real Women Have Curves Musical Review

Collage of Real Women Have curves. Includes a mural with an indigenous person and billboard saying "Somos Boyle Heights," the other pictures show Cindy and Sean standing in front of the play photo area and playbill

I had the privilege of seeing the penultimate showing of Real Women Have Curves. It was my first time seeing the original cast and third time seeing a Broadway musical. I loved it and wish I could tell everyone to go see it, but it closed the next day. 

I first saw a screening of the film version of Real Women Have Curves as a senior at UCLA (2001 or 2002). I had never seen the original play by Josefina Lopez, but liked the movie. I identified with Ana in a lot of ways. I saw myself in the daughter of Mexican immigrants who loved to write and hoped to go to college. I related with the tender relationships she had with her grandfather and father. And I had grandparents who worked as gardeners and seamstresses. But the similarities ended there. I didn’t have Ana’s confidence about her body and I got along well with my mom. She supported me going to college, but not far away. And to be honest, by the time I was picking where to go, I knew I wanted to be close to home.  

Over 20 years later I saw a new version adapted for Broadway that simultaneously felt of it’s time in 1987 and also relevant to 2025. Ana is still ambitious and confident and butts heads with her mother Carmen. But she also recognizes that her status as the only citizen in her family means her family needs her in ways she really doesn’t understand. Still she supports her sister Estela’s dressmaking business while also taking on an internship for a local newspaper where she meets a cute guy. Amidst this family drama, Estela and the women in her business also fear workplace raids by la Migra. But they can’t stop that from showing up because they have a big order of 200 dresses to complete in a short timeframe.

I was touched to see how Ana, her mother, and older sister all grow to understand each other. I was in tears when Carmen gives Ana a blanket made from many dresses to take with her to New York and Ana sings, “you’re the hero of the story, mamá it’s you.” Then Carmen gives her a blessing, “Go, Ana, as far as you want. Fly, mija, we are with you para siempre y que Dios te bendiga.” I was full on sobbing at that point, just like I am writing this review – probably why I never finished the post.

The weekend I saw the play was about 10 years after I moved from LA to Ithaca. I recalled how Papá Chepe gave me and Xavi blessings at his bedside. When we got to LAX, my brother Danny gave me a big hug and my mom gave us her own blessing. Then Xavi and I walked toward security. We’d join Sean who was waiting for us after driving cross-country with my dad. There were a lot of tears.

Now this Ana, I could understand in a way that would’ve never made sense when I was 21.

Curtain call of Real Women Have Curves. Collage displays two photos of seven Latina actors. The women wear formal gowns in bright colors like pink, red or teal. One actor wears a white suit and one wears an orange suit. The background shows Doña Estela written surrounded by flowers and a purple mosaic pattern.

If Real Women Have Curves is produced again, you must go see it. I promise, you’ll love it and be singing “Make It Work” or “If I Were A Bird” (ca-caw!) or “I Got It Wrong” again and again. Oh, and take tissues. If you’re a chillona like me, you’ll need them.

Other notes: 

  • Our family has listened to the OBC multiple times. The kids’ favorite song is probably “If I Were A Bird” (because they get to say “ca-caw!” and “I’d shit on that”) and mine changes based on how I’m feeling that day.
  • Xavi was a little bummed he didn’t go, but some of the jokes were pretty adult. There’s a whole song about menopause, Adios Andrés
  • All props go to the creatives who designed the set and details. They were so authentic I felt like I was back in the ‘80s at my grandparents’ house in East LA. Ana’s father dressed just like my Grandpa Bartolo (flannel shirt, Dickie’s work pants, and boots) and her mom had the same apron I’ve seen on my grandmother and tías.
  • The co-leads are supporting cast were all amazing. It was a real treat to see Justina Machado who was nominated for a Tony for this performance and has been in other shows I’ve enjoyed (One Day at a Time, Six Feet Under). She also originated the role of Ana in the stage version in 1992, so it was a full circle moment. Ana and Estela were played by two women making their Broadway debuts, Tatianna Córdoba and Florencia Cuenca, respectively. Florencia also made history in being the first Mexican immigrant originating a co-leading role on Broadway.
  • The audience was so enthusiastic and cheering like crazy, especially for the performance of the title song, “Real Women Have Curves.”
  • Latino USA has a great interview with co-leads Tatianna Córdoba and Florencia Cuenca that reflects on how hard it is to make a Broadway show successful
  • Why yes writing this took me quite a while because I got sucked into a YouTube rabbit hole of videos. Enjoy!

This video features “Jugglin'”, “Flying Away” and “Daydream”

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Música, Parenting

It’s An Old Song

A few months ago I remember seeing a prompt on Bluesky from a contributor with This American Life. They needed stories from when someone said an off-hand remark that stuck with you for a long time and had a major impact on your life1. I couldn’t think of one to add, but this winter, I recalled a remark my dad made about musicals when I was a kid. 

We had just rented The Sound of Music on VHS. I don’t know what prompted it, but I distinctly remember him saying it was boring and too long, “They sing the same song for 15 minutes!” 

I took that and extrapolated it to believe that all musicals were boring and too long. Musicals weren’t my thing. 

I still held on to this belief even after seeing a few musicals at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood. We could never afford orchestra tickets for a family of six, but my dad got complimentary tickets from work. We saw Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Candide and a couple other shows thanks to that perk2. Joseph and Candide were fine and I enjoyed them, but I didn’t go home and immediately beg my parents to get a CD recording so I could listen to the songs endlessly. In my 20s, I saw a few other shows at the same theater and was a bit bored in the second act. Don’t hate me, but I didn’t love Wicked and Mamma Mia! 

The joke is on me. I’ve enjoyed musicals and musical theater since I was a teen. I was really into the 1990s Disney musicals. Some of the first CDs I owned were the soundtracks to Lion King, Aladdin, and Pocahontas. A friend gave me a 4-CD disc set of Disney music for my quinceañera, and it was one of the best gifts ever. To this day, “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid is still a go-to at karaoke.

Two, I was a band kid from middle school into college! Do you know how many times I played music from musicals?! Twice. West Side Story really had a grip on my band directors. Yes, I’ve formed a shark and a jet on a football field.

Maybe my dad isn’t into musicals, but I am3. See: Hamilton obsession and Hadestown. 

Hadestown came to me by way of Xavi.

After acting in the fall Shakespeare play, The Tempest, Xavi decided to audition for the winter musical which would be either Hadestown: Teen Edition or Mary Poppins4. The students and school decided on Hadestown and Xavi was cast as a member of the chorus/workers. 

From December through February, he worked hard in many rehearsals on weeknights and weekends to learn the music and choreography. We’d listen to songs from the musical in the car or at home as he practiced his parts and choreography. It was cute to hear him share the origin story of Orpheus and Eurydice with Archie. 

Collage of photos from the Hadestown teen production.

We saw the school’s production four weeks ago. I was blown away by all the performers and so proud of Xavi’s hard work. I was also touched that my mom was able to come out to see Xavi. He didn’t know she was coming and was so surprised to see her when he came home from school.

Before the teen performance, I had only heard a few of the songs from Hadestown. But afterward I knew I wanted to see the Broadway production. So, when Xavi asked if we could see it while visiting family in Long Island, I immediately said “yes, let’s see if there are tickets!” 

Collage of photos from Broadway Hadestown outside the theater, in theater of set and playbill, and Cindy, Xavi and Archie.

We both loved it and I’m obsessed5. Two weeks later, I’m still amazed at the set, lighting, actors, and musicians and have had the Original Broadway Cast recording on repeat. Seeing the Broadway production made me appreciate more what Xavi and his peers did with a minimal set and budget. I told Sean that I was much more touched by the teen rendition of “Why We Build the Wall” because I saw Xavi up there and because the themes of the musical will have a greater impact on his generation.

On the road trip back from Long Island, we did family sing-alongs to Hamilton, a musical I played constantly when Xavi was a toddler and Archie was in utero/a baby. After asking to skip to “Wait for It”, Xavi said, “I have such memories of this song!” He then didn’t allow me to sing until the chorus, because he claimed Aaron Burr’s parts.

Whether we’re singing “Wait for It” or “Wait for Me”, I’m glad we can have these full circle moments and influence each other’s music taste.

It’s a parenting moment I didn’t know I was waiting for.

  1. The resulting episode was pretty good. ↩︎
  2. I also got to see an incredible flamenco show there and Natalie Merchant at the Greek Theater. That was my first concert. ↩︎
  3. No shade whatsoever to my dad who has had a huge and positive influence on my musical upbringing. I’ve reflected on it like in this snippet from seeing Los Lobos years ago. ↩︎
  4. The number of times I watched my VHS of Mary Poppins might also say something about my affinity for musicals. ↩︎
  5. Sean and Archie didn’t go, but Archie still had a good time spending Christmas money in the Nintendo LEGO stores. ↩︎
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