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Mickey Jo
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Justina Machado
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Mickey Jo
Do we think any of the reluctance of audience members to buy tickets and go and see this show had anything to do with the title Real Women have Curves? Like, I found myself really liking the aesthetic of a lot of the merchandise, but I wouldn't have wanted to walk around in the world wearing a hat or a T shirt that said real women have curves. I feel like in 2025, with all of the right intentions behind it, both the idea of the body positivity and the notion of real women having anything carries a lot different implications. Oh my God. Hey, welcome back to my theatre themed YouTube channel. Or hello to you if you're listening on podcast platforms. My name is Mickey Jo and I am obsessed with all things theatre. I'm a professional theatre critic from the uk, but frequently throughout the year I head over to the US and on one such trip earlier this year, I was a little bit too early to see the new Broadway musical Real Women have Curves at the time I was getting ready to leave and it was just starting preview performances. However, I was in town long enough to hear some really exciting buzz out of those first few performance, so I was excited to catch it when I got back. And based on how the show seemed to be performing over the next few weeks, with too few audience members going to give it a chance and not fantastic grosses, I was actually very pleased that it was still around by the time I got back in June to go and see it. Unfortunately, between then and now, the show has announced that it will be playing its final performance and it is closing this weekend at the James Earl Jones Theatre and ahead of everything that I'm going to say about the show in this full review, I will encourage you to go and check out one of those final few performances if you still have time. Sell out those shows, go and see Real Women have Curves because essentially it deserves much better than the Broadway run it's had. And I'll make another video or podcast talking about this and the phenomenon of all of the closed shows that we have seen recently and all of the announcements. Boop. Today has just announced that it will be closing on Broadway. Similarly, Dead Outlaw and Redwood and Smash all closing earlier than they would have planned to. And this is a knock on effect after the Tony Awards, but also in the midst of a Broadway ecosystem unable to sustain so many shows simultaneously and unable to sustain so many great and popular shows simultaneously. And don't try and tell me that the astronomical ticket prices of star led shows like Othello or Glengarry Glen Ross or even the Picture of Dorian Gray or Good Night and Good Luck didn't have anything to do with this. Anyway, that's a different conversation for another time. But my point of all of that is that often when these shows close early, it can boil down to the show itself not being good enough to run. And that has two implications. One, it means it doesn't win out at the awards because it's not of high enough quality. And so it doesn't have that rejection, that boost of public awareness for tourists arriving in Times Square and going, what's the best new musical this season? Oh, it's that one. Because they have a big sign telling you that the Tony Awards decided it's the best new musical. And also, if the show isn't good enough, then audiences won't leave with that buzzy word of mouth and tell their friends and tell their families and you won't hear about it on social media. In the case of Real Women have Curves, however Neither of those things were true. It just found itself right at the end of a very busy and very high quality Broadway season when it came to new musicals. You had Death Become her and maybe Happy Ending and Dead Outlaw and Operation Mincemeat and Buena Vista Social Club, a show which very possibly was pulling a lot of the audience that Real Women have Curves may have been hoping to find. In any case, we are not seeing here a story of a show which closed too soon because it wasn't good enough for Broadway. And I'm about to convey to you exactly why. So let me tell you a little bit about Real Women have Curves. You may be familiar with the film of the same name, but that itself was actually based on a play. And I believe the music musical Real Women have Curves is also based on that play. It's a kind of similar life cycle to the Notebook, which, you know, there's a popular film, but the Notebook musical is actually based on the book that the film is also based on. The concept of the play itself, which I believe was written in the 1990s. It was first produced in the 1990s. Reminded me a lot of another play that I saw earlier this year at the National Theatre and I also reviewed here. That play was called Alterations. Now, the two stories are set in entirely different countries, following the stories of groups of immigrants who have emigrated from entirely different places and are now working at sewing machines trying to process huge orders that have just come in. And, you know, they're vastly impossible orders. How can we possibly make that many trousers in a week? How can we possibly make that many dresses in the few days that we have? But if they can get through these orders, then it will mean fantastic things. It will mean success and prosperity. And it's representative of more than just the money that they all stand to gain and the bonus that they would attain for completing this audacious order. It's representative of finally achieving that thing that they have all been striving for and that sort of encompassing of the immigrant story and the American dream in this instance. And there's many conversations that the two plays, Real Women have Curves and Alterations, both have in common. This one has a little bit of a difference because our central protagonist exists sort of outside of that environment. We keep flashing back to the factory with all of these different women working there. The factory is run by her sister. Her mother also works there, her mother, who is the very powerful and dominating matriarch of their family. There are various other women who also work there as well. It's a Whole group of Latina women, each of them supporting their family, supporting themselves. And other than our younger protagonist, all of them are also undocumented in a time when it was becoming increasingly difficult for that to be your status in the US which obviously has hugely resonant parallels with all of the atrocities and the horror stories that are happening today in Los Angeles. Making this up until its closing performance this weekend, probably the most important and relevant show playing right now on Broadway. And we'll talk a little bit more about how it handles those themes. But let me continue telling you about this plot because it's very interesting. I should add, before I continue that the original play upon which this is based is by Josefina Lopez. The book for this musical has been written by Lisa Luma with Nell Benjamin, and the music and lyrics are by Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez. So our leading characters here are Ana and her mother. Ana is played by the breakout brilliant star, Tatiana Cordoba. She's fantastic. We'll talk more about her later. And her mother is played by the I icon of the television screen, Justina Machado, who was also Tony nominated for her featured performance. The mother's name is Carmen. She works with her older daughter at her older daughter's dressmaking business. Her name is Estella. She is played by the fabulous Florencia Quenza. I'm just issuing a disclaimer right now. If I'm butchering all of these names, I'm so sorry to you, I think you're all fantastic. But she decides fairly early on in the proceedings with the whole thing having been ignited by the acceptance of this huge order, all of these dresses, that they don't have the time to make, that Anna Estella's younger S can come and work alongside them. And because she was born in the country and because she is documented, she can help them with other things and she can have important conversations and she can sign stuff. And it's this plot running beneath the main one that ends up being really just as important because there are ice raids happening for the businesses above them and next door to them. And it's a threat that's very much looming for all of the endearing, relatable, hard working characters in this environment who are all just trying to sew and make the best of these dresses and of their work and of their lives. In an early number, Make It Work, they sing about all of the stresses that they are contending with simultaneously. And so they go back to the great lyric, so we sew. Now, what's interesting about Anna is that she is not particularly enthusiastic about going to work alongside her mother and her sister in this environment. She has, if not bigger dreams, then at least different dreams because she has been accepted, I believe, to Colombia in New York. The show is set on the west coast, so obviously this would be a huge departure for her from her family life, from that close circle. She is a second generation immigrant and is contending with all of the guilt and the challenge and the expectation that comes with that. Of course, that experience is also not monolithic because we've seen a similar thing explored in other media in other musicals. Even Nina in In the Heights is coming back from college that she attends across the country when her father scolds her for not continuing in her education thousands of miles away. Meanwhile, Carmen is not thrilled whatsoever about the prospect of Anna even consider traveling across the country to go and pursue education thousands of miles away. But in pursuit of this career as a journalist, Anna is balancing her work for her sister with an unpaid summer internship for the local newspaper. And she is interviewing political figures and taking on assignments and developing a crush on a young man that she's working with who is also heading in the same direction for higher education. At the same time, her worldview has the chance to expand a little bit. There is such friction between her and her mother. That's the principal relationship that we follow in this show, because her sister Estella gets perhaps just a little bit sidelined. But while Anna has her eyes opened to some of the more challenging realities of the undocumented immigrant experience by some of the other workers at the factory, Carmen eventually comes to realize that hers is not always necessarily the only right way of doing things. There is also a little bit of a moment for body positivity, which is where the title comes from. There is a song to go with this title that is one of the best, most explosive, and extraordinarily joyous moments in the show. It does sort of come, if not from nowhere, then from this weird repeating trope in which Carmen, who we perceive at least to be a plus sized character, who is the mother to another plus sized character and her daughter. Estella, criticizes Anna for being a plus sized young woman and makes frequent remarks about how that's going to make it impossible for her to ever find love, eventually sparking her into one moment of complete indignation. And that's where the song comes from. And if all the themes around ice raids and government intimidation and challenging realities for immigrants in the US are all like, troublingly pertinent, some of the conversations that instigate that idea of body positivity do feel a little bit 2002 like when the film came out. Sure. But it feels for that character to be saying that to her daughter. It gets the daughter to the right place, and it serves to, you know, empower her to actually make this speech and make this whole point about it. But it feels weirdly hypocritical and sort of undermining for the mother's character. It does not endear her to us, the audience whatsoever. And perhaps that's a character perspective and a relationship dynamic that could have stood to be a little bit reworked from the existing source material for a 2025 new adaptation, because you kind of want to see a little bit more balance between them. For the most part, it's Carmen who really needs to understand her daughter. There is a moment in which Estella points out that she is actually the one of the three of them who has the most to deal with at the moment, with this enormous order and the potential collapse of her business, and how the two of them, Anna and Carmen, are both surprising alike and similar to each other, and that is why they butt heads so much. But a version in which Anna has something more to learn from her mother, something more substantial, and they could meet in the middle, might be a little bit more satisfying. And I feel like it would give that little bit more credit as well to the first generation immigrant, rather than solely portraying her as a bossy, commanding mother who was a little bit out of touch. And admittedly, like I said, the first generation and second generation immigrant experience is not monolithic, but it is a little bit of a curveball to have this character saying to her daughter, no, you can't go to college. You can't get the best possible future and career for yourself, when in other media depictions, that's always the goal. And the idea that the child would want to do anything but that, given all the sacrifices that her parent had made, is often resented. Now, let's talk about my thoughts on the writing. And the whole thing does very well to balance the necessity and urgency and despair of its themes, which, like I said, very relevant right now, once again, with this buoyant sense of joy and community and euphoria as I describe the plot of this show to you. It may sound like something that people don't want to go and see in the current climate, but it is so uplifting and it is so encouraging, and it will leave you with the biggest smile across your face, which is why it makes it all the More sad that the run is closing earlier than it ought to be and that more people didn't discover this. I know that the producers, the Weisslers, feel that this is one of the best pieces, pieces of musical theatre that they have produced and they can't understand why it's not running as long as a show like Waitress. And like Waitress, a show that folds in darker themes and realities into a sweet, feel good package. This show stitches together the complicated and the complex and the real with the uplifting and the diverting. And that's a difficult balancing act because occasionally we have moments where it feels as though we ought to give a little more, pardon the punishment, but wait to some of those harsher realities. I mean, you have a character being deported and you have Anna facing the hugely difficult decision of whether or not she can sponsor this young woman who has come to be not only her colleague and her acquaintance, but also her friend, because they've really got to know each other. You have her considering whether or not that's something that she can do. When doing so would mean revealing her home address and the location of her workplace, which would put all of the other women in her family and at the business at risk, which is a really important conversation for this show to have and a really important reality for it to demonstrate. But within a few moments, we're doing an out and out comedy song to distract from all of that. Like it's Hakuna Matata after Mufasa just got killed. Spoiler alert for the Lion King. And there are moments where, and this is a very difficult and personal decision, I think, for the writers, but the gravity of it all can feel a little bit undercut in favor of the pursuit of joy. And that's a difficult decision to make for this show. But a byproduct of feeling and being relevant to society in 2025 is we know how high these stakes are, so there's really no way to pretend they're anything else. Now, that moment leads us into a second act where we feel perhaps too closely tethered to the play that this musical is based on, because we spend a conspicuous number of scenes in a row just in the same setting, with characters almost taking turns to break out of their work and take little sewing breaks in order to sing their life story like it happens for a couple of in a row. And it's almost alternately like the happy song in which we're all singing about something silly and then someone has actually a moment of, you know, real reflection and then it switches back and then it switches back again, and the whole thing gets to be just a little bit too static. But at the same time, I feel I'm happier with the scenes when we're in the factory than when we're following Anna around on this crusade to try and have it all and try and do well at her journalism job, which ultimately ends up slipping because she doesn't have any time, she's not getting any sleep, and she's got too much on her plate to then running in to try and do the sewing, but she doesn't know what she's doing. And they've given her a difficult sewing machine, and she's arguing with her mother, who's calling her fat, and she's left the iron on and she's ruining one of the dresses. And it's all very difficult to watch and frustrating for us as an audience who are rooting for this girl and just want her to do well. And that's because she's presented to us as this endearing, perfect, charming, and hugely intelligent young protagonist. I do think if she were empowered to have a little bit more in terms of flaws, we could play up the naivety because she has a certain privilege that her mother and her sister don't, because they are undocumented, unlike her. And honestly, while so much of the show focuses on the parallel between her and her mother, I do think her sister Estella ought to get a little bit more of the dramatic thrust. I think she's a really interesting character because she's watching her younger sister consider whether or not to go off and pursue this bright, exciting future in spite of her mother's wishes, a future that will never be available to Estella because of sacrifices that she made for her mother during her own childhood. It's very complex. And then you get a really interesting character dynamic because the wealthy woman for whom Estella is making this order of all of these dresses turns out to be a Latina woman as well, who has done well for herself, who has risen up in the world, who has changed her name and tried to assimilate within white American culture, and who is sparing no time and no grace, particularly for all of these women, despite understanding where they've all come from. And that's a really interesting dynamic because you have all of them understanding and supporting each other, despite coming from slightly different places and having had slightly different experiences and not being explicitly family versus how she feels about the whole thing. And I want to spend more time with that as well. Also, I think it's kind of a generic storytelling trope that Anna has to meet and find a boyfriend at some point in all of this. Like, there are a lot of shows this season like this and boop. Neither of these really benefit from injecting a love story into them. And I think the characters are more interesting without that being a facet of their personality. I don't think either of them have time to be considering romance. Like Betty Boop gets swept away by it, and that's fine. But not to sound like her mother, but Anna absolutely has too much going on in her life to even be entertaining a relationship. Like, what are you doing? You have a dress to make and a newspaper to write. Anyway, the overall thoughts that I've been building towards here about the material are, you know, it's uplifting and it's important and we are empowered to get to know almost all of these characters very, very well. There are a couple of workers with whom we aren't acquainted quite as thoroughly, but they are all afforded these really vivid personal personalities which help. That being said, does the whole thing feel a little bit dated? Does it feel like musical theater, perhaps of the 2010s, which admittedly was not that long ago, but in a season full of such novelty and real innovation and pushing the boundaries and creativity, does Real Women have Curves feel that little bit more generic by comparison? I don't think this is a generic musical. I just think in the face of all of this reality, modern and new and edgy stuff, this feels like a much more typical kind of piece of musical theater, which is also probably the same quality that is going to afford it. A long regional and community theatre life, especially in communities where this would really reflect the stories of the people who live in that community, particularly in Latinx communities. We do just have to celebrate a musical like Real Women Have Curves having the chance to exist not only on Broadway, but in community theatre spaces, potentially in high school schools, touring around the country, wherever it may be regionally, because you have a bunch of canonically non white characters on stage, you have a bunch of canonically plus sized characters on stage, you have a bunch of female characters on stage, you have a female dominant cast. Like these are a lot of things that musical theatre does not do well at historically. Now, let's talk about the score. And I don't think it's necessarily wildly reinventing the notion of what musical theatre is and sounds like. And there are a couple of melodies and a couple of lyrics that are perhaps a little bit expected, but the whole thing is also joyous and it feels authentically.
Mr. Moore
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Mickey Jo
Conditions apply of that Latinx community. It feels like an authentic sound and sprinkled within this objectively strong score are a couple of really fantastic songs. When Anna and Itzel go together to the roof and Itzel leads her in singing the duet if I Were a Bird and the two of them talk about their shared and different experiences, that's a really fantastic song and that's an interesting moment to musicalize as well, and a little bit of a less typical moment to musicalize. We have a lot of other sort of hallmarks of musical theatre moments. Like we have the introductory number when they're singing about all working together. It's very opening up from Waitress only they're sewing dresses rather than making pies. We also have a little bit of a power ballady I want Song for Anna, which I think just in terms of its arrangement and in terms of its tempo is probably a little too slow and a little too emotionally heavy handed too soon. Admittedly by the time we meet her, she's already going through a lot. It just feels as though it's a little unearned. Some of the confrontational songs, however, with her and her mother are absolutely fantastic. Oya Muchacha. Love that song. Love the way the lyric falls onto it. I love incorporating just a little bit of Spanish into the lyrics. Alongside the English. Obviously you have Buena Vista Social Club a couple of streets over, opening on Broadway with Entirely Spanish lyrics. And you have a couple of very impactful, slower and more sorrowful songs in there as well. Particularly as we move into the second act, which is also where we find the title song that I told you about. Real Women have Curves. I want to explain to you a little bit about this number because if it weren't for certain realities, this is the song they would have done on the Tony Awards. Except for the fact that Anna, in defiance both of her mother's repeated bizarre body shaming and the non functional air conditioning and the heat in which they're all working, takes her top off off and begins working in just her underwear and subsequently encourages all of the other women to also do the same. And in this chant of body positivity and togetherness and mutual feminist support, they all do remove a layer of clothing and stand together on stage in undergarments and sing out to the audience, real Women have Curves. It's such a triumphant moment that shatters through the fourth wall and acknowledges that we're all in this space together. And people at the performance I was at leap to their feet in joyous response and in solidarity and encouragement of the brave actors who have just performed this on stage. Obviously they couldn't do this on the Tony Awards because you'd have to get it through standards. And also I think it's a lot to ask the cast to actually do that. I think it's one thing to kind of do that exposing an act in a theatre, but to do it on a national broadcast. I know that the Full Monty happened, but different circumstances. Wonderful number. It's a highlight moment of the show. Upon reflection, does it feel a little conspicuous in terms of, you know, it barely relating to the trajectory of the narrative in terms of, like, what we're trying to do with the dresses, in terms of the immigration of it all, in terms of the cultural identity, in terms of Anna balancing all these things, all of them juggling all of their responsibilities. It's tangentially linked, I suppose, to some of that and her relationship with her mother and the difficult conditions that they are are working in. But there's been so little mention of the notion of body positivity. It sort of feels like a concept that none of them really have time for because they all have bigger things to worry about. And that's not me telling fictional characters from a community that I don't belong to how they ought to be feeling. It's just me suggesting that if we could foreshadow this with a couple more references, a couple more nods to it earlier on, then that might be a little bit more beneficial. It would be a little more empowered to mean something, something. Because it's already a fantastic moment. And if it's a fantastic moment that came from somewhere we had been anticipating, then it would be all the more satisfying. Right. I do also want to talk about the song Adios Andres that they sing. This is sort of led by Justina Machado, because she reveals to everyone else early in the second act that she believes that she is pregnant because she hasn't had her period. And this is understood via a metaphor of Andres, who visits every month. And one of her colleagues has to courteously reveal to her that it's actually the menopause, that's actually what she's experiencing. And then she sings a song called Adios Andres and they all join together to bid goodbye to Andres, which is a hilarious notion. Brilliant song. And this is the show at its best, is this community of women coming together and singing a song like this and supporting each other like. Like this. That is where the show succeeds the most fully. And that's perhaps why we have this feeling of imbalance with the levity of it and some of the darker themes. Because there is never a musical moment or a scene, really, that as powerfully lands the challenge of everything else that they are dealing with. It is an interrupter of moments. It is something that lingers in the background and occasionally bursts through the door into their lives and disrupts everything, particularly for certain characters. But there isn't one song that really puts all of that across with harrowing necessity. Let me finish, then, by talking about all of the individuals who have helped to bring this to the stage, cast and creatives. And occasionally you watch a particular, I think, a musical where the performances are so empowered and the characters are so vividly written that the direction can sort of go unnoticed. And I think a really great job has been done by Sergio Trujillo here on the direction to such an extent that I really. I really wasn't paying attention to it throughout. I was just. I felt as though I was in conversation with these brilliant characters, which is where I needed to be. I felt part of this community. Even though I'm very much not to fully credit Sergio, he is director and choreographer of this production. Arnolfo Maldonado is the set designer. I loved this set design. And, you know, we have a lot of, like, traditional elements in terms of the way that it was staged. And it's not the most complex, it's not the biggest theater where the whole thing is happening. But I just love the design of it and the colors used. It was vivid and it was gorgeous. And the way that, you know, we can go from this slightly downtrodden and cramped and overheated environment to something more aspirational when they go out onto the rooftop and all of the different locations that Anna's rushing between and with the direction as well, conveying that sense of pace and stress and intensity. And then even though they're working through all these dresses, there is a relaxed quality. When we go back to the ladies at the sewing machines because of the sense of community that they found because of the home that they have made it. Of course, we also have to talk about the costume design from Paloma Young and Wilbur Gonzalez. Not only the ones that they are making on stage, but also the ones that they are wearing themselves, that they look fantastic and authentically of the era and of the community. We get a sense of character because these are all very different individuals. They have very distinct personalities, much of which gets revealed to us immediately through the very colorful and specific conflict costume design. Now let's talk about the company members, many of whom have made their Broadway debut with this production, which is, of course, fantastic. Tatiana Cordoba leads us as a wonderful leading lady here. We've talked a lot about Jasmine, Amy Rogers, incredibly confident and charismatic debut this season. But Tatiana deserves to be in that conversation as well and would have got a Tony award nomination were it not for the fact that it was the most crowded season for leading actresses this year. She is wonderful and she she.
Mr. Moore
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Mickey Jo
It's charming, and she is so heartfelt, and we feel all of the stress and the anxiety that she is trying to contain and the two different worlds that she is desperately trying to hold together. I think every sensation that she experiences from multiple directions of stress and criticism throughout this show immediately explode out through this brilliant emotional canvas that is her expressive face and voice and portrayal. And we feel them all so, so deeply. And she has a wonderful scene partner in her mother, Carmen, played by Justina Machado, who is, of course, an absolute pro. I've seen her in so many TV series, I didn't know that she'd done a couple of Broadway shows before. But this is a brilliant stage return for her. She is so wonderful. She understands comedic timing so, so well. But also these moments of fiery, commanding maternal passion are so well put across. There are so many reasons why we ought not to support this character, but we do regardless, because I think we can understand the place of strife that she has come from and the things that she has had to sacrifice in order to create this life for her family and for her children, but also because she's a little bit fabulous as well. And God help me, I love someone who. Who is just slightly foolish enough to come in and announce to everyone else that she thinks that she's pregnant before realizing that it's actually the menopause I do like. That's wonderful. And then also fabulous. Florencia Quentza as her other daughter, Estella. We have a couple of moments where we really get to know Estella. I would like even more in the show because I think that she is wonderful. And Mason Reeves, who plays Anna's love interest, Henry. I know I said the entire character could be displayed, discarded, but he is deeply charming. He is so endearing. His is, I think, the characterization that the love interest in Boop ought to have. That's no disparagement against the brilliant actor Ainsley in Boop. I just think that the way that the character is written ought to be more like this guy who we love immediately. Even though the two of them meet as rivals in the journalism world, the chemistry is there. Then we have another terrific featured part, the character of Idzel, played by Aline Mayagoitia. She is, if I'm getting this right, the newest work worker at the factory prior to Anna starting and the newest to have arrived in the US and spoiler alert as we enter into the second act, she's also the one who devastatingly ends up being seized, held and deported. And so Aline here, through this sort of mousy characterization, is burdened with the responsibility of conveying a hugely important character and a wealth of humanity to reach out to the audiences throughout the theater. And what I love about her performance and her characterization is the moment at which she sort of spreads her wings a butterfly, or I should say like a bird, because that's the whole metaphor that she uses in her song, when she and Anna are getting to know each other a little bit better. But at the very beginning, she is just sort of in the background and in the periphery and we are getting to know the other workers a lot more prominently because they're a lot louder, they're a lot more brash, and she's a little more reserved. But it's in conversation with Anna that she reveals a little bit more of herself and we get to know her as well. And that makes everything that happens to her, I think, all the more high, heartbreaking, but really well portrayed, sensitively and thoughtfully and beautifully portrayed. And you know what? All of the supporting cast are doing fantastic work in this show as well, but in particular Jennifer Sanchez as the undyingly stylish Rosalie and the scene stealing Carla Jimenez as Pancha. She is so fun. I want her to be in every single musical theatre show. There's I don't know why, I don't know how, but just always. I want her always to be on stage because she is such a lovely and warm presence. And those have been my thoughts on Real Women Have Curves. Like I said, not the most innovative, groundbreaking new musical of the season, but one that has been just so uplifting and is so feel good and so easy to return to. And I'm really sad that more audience members aren't going to have that opportunity and that for one reason or another, this show has not had the Broadway life that it deserved. However, it is not quite closed yet. If you have the possibility, go and see Real Women have Curves at one of its final few performances this weekend before the end of this its original Broadway run, and I'm hopeful that we will see many more instances of this show in the future. In the meantime, thank you so much for clicking onto a video or a podcast episode about this show. I think that's terrific and thank you for listening to this review. As always, I would love to know what you thought as well. If you had the joy of seeing Real Women have Curves on Broadway way. Let us all know what you thought of the show in the comments section down below. Thank you so much for listening to my thoughts. If you want to hear more of them, make sure you're subscribed to my theatre themed YouTube channel. There is a button somewhere below my face that looks like a bell. Click on that and then YouTube will let you know every time I post a new video. Or you can go and follow me on podcast platforms. Thank you so much for listening. I hope that everyone in the world is staying safe. I really mean that. And I hope that you have a stagey day for 10 more seconds. I'm Minky Joe Theater. Oh my God. Hey, thanks for watching. Have a stagey day. Subscribe.
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Podcast Information:
In the episode titled "Real Women Have Curves (James Earl Jones Theatre, Broadway) - ★★★★ REVIEW", Mickey-Jo from MickeyJoTheatre delves into a comprehensive analysis of the Broadway musical "Real Women Have Curves". As a seasoned theatre critic with a substantial following on YouTube, Mickey-Jo provides insightful commentary on the show's merits, challenges, and its place within the current Broadway landscape.
Mickey-Jo begins by introducing "Real Women Have Curves" as a Broadway adaptation based on Josefina Lopez's original play, which also inspired the popular film of the same name. He draws parallels to other works, such as "The Notebook," highlighting the common trajectory from play to film to musical. The musical maintains the core themes of the immigrant experience and the pursuit of the American Dream, set against the backdrop of a bustling dressmaking factory.
Notable Quote:
"You may be familiar with the film of the same name, but that itself was actually based on a play." ([02:30])
Mickey-Jo explores the intricate themes woven into the narrative, including the struggles of undocumented immigrants, familial obligations, and the quest for personal aspirations. He emphasizes the portrayal of the factory as a microcosm of the broader immigrant experience, reflecting on the characters' efforts to achieve prosperity through relentless work.
He also touches on the show's engagement with body positivity, stemming from its title. While acknowledging the importance of this theme, Mickey-Jo critiques its execution, suggesting that it feels somewhat outdated and not fully integrated into the characters' narratives.
Notable Quote:
"The title comes from... a moment of complete indignation... it's sort of a generic storytelling trope that Anna has to meet and find a boyfriend..." ([15:40])
A significant portion of the review is dedicated to character analysis and performances. Mickey-Jo praises the casting, particularly highlighting:
Tatiana Cordoba as Ana: Described as a "breakout brilliant star," Tatiana's portrayal brings depth and relatability to the protagonist navigating her dual identity and aspirations.
Justina Machado as Carmen: Mickey-Jo lauds Machado's performance, noting her impeccable comedic timing and the emotional gravitas she brings to the role of the domineering matriarch. He remarks on her ability to humanize Carmen despite her challenging demeanor.
Florencia Quenza as Estella: While acknowledging Quenza's strong performance, Mickey-Jo wishes for more dramatic development of Estella's character, suggesting she has untapped potential that could enrich the narrative.
Aline Mayagoitia as Itzel: Praised for her sensitive portrayal of a newcomer facing deportation, Aline's character adds emotional weight to the storyline.
Notable Quote:
"Justina Machado... is an absolute pro. I've seen her in so many TV series, I didn't know that she'd done a couple of Broadway shows before." ([25:10])
Credit is given to the creative team behind the production:
Sergio Trujillo (Director and Choreographer): Mickey-Jo commends Trujillo for his seamless direction, which allows the characters and story to take center stage without overshadowing them.
Arnolfo Maldonado (Set Designer): The set design is described as "vivid and gorgeous," effectively transitioning between the cramped factory and more aspirational spaces like the rooftop.
Paloma Young and Wilbur Gonzalez (Costume Designers): Their work is praised for reflecting the distinct personalities of each character through colorful and specific designs, enhancing the authenticity of the Latina community portrayed.
Notable Quote:
"I felt as though I was in conversation with these brilliant characters, which is where I needed to be." ([28:15])
The musical score of "Real Women Have Curves" is acknowledged for its authenticity and joyous energy, though Mickey-Jo notes areas where it falls into familiar tropes. He highlights standout numbers such as:
"If I Were a Bird": A duet between Anna and Itzel that beautifully captures their evolving friendship and shared experiences.
"Real Women Have Curves": The titular song is celebrated as a triumphant, fourth-wall-breaking moment that embodies body positivity and solidarity among the characters.
However, Mickey-Jo critiques certain songs for feeling emotionally heavy-handed or disconnected from the narrative's pacing.
Notable Quote:
"It's a triumphant moment that shatters through the fourth wall and acknowledges that we're all in this space together." ([30:45])
Mickey-Jo concludes the review with a bittersweet reflection on the show's early closure. He expresses disappointment that despite its strengths—uplifting messages, strong performances, and meaningful representation—"Real Women Have Curves" didn't achieve the sustained success it deserved on Broadway. He encourages listeners to attend one of the final performances, highlighting the show's potential for longevity in regional and community theatres where its themes resonate deeply.
Notable Quote:
"It's so uplifting and it is so encouraging, and it will leave you with the biggest smile across your face, which is why it makes it all the more sad that the run is closing earlier than it ought to be." ([34:20])
Mickey-Jo wraps up the episode by urging his audience to support the musical's remaining performances and to continue advocating for diverse and representative narratives in theatre. He invites listeners to share their own experiences and thoughts on the show, fostering a community of engaged and thoughtful theatre enthusiasts.
Notable Quote:
"If you have the possibility, go and see Real Women have Curves at one of its final few performances this weekend before the end of its original Broadway run." ([35:25])
Overall Impression: "Real Women Have Curves" is portrayed as a heartfelt and significant addition to Broadway, blending critical social themes with moments of joy and community. While it may not break new ground in musical theatre innovation, its authentic representation and strong emotional core make it a commendable production deserving of its dedicated audience.