Anna in the Tropics at GALA Hispanic Theatre

Anna in the Tropics

GALA Hispanic Theatre
3333 14th Street, NW Washington

The arrival of a new “lector” at a 1929 Cuban cigar factory in Ybor City, Florida becomes a catalyst amongst the workers. As the “lector” begins to read from Tolstoy’s "Anna Karenina", forbidden passions are unleashed in this Pultizer prize winning play about the transformative power of literature in a landscape that pits old traditions against changing economic realities.
In Spanish with English Surtitles

Thru - Mar 4, 2012

Thursdays: 8:00pm

Fridays: 8:00pm

Saturdays: 8:00pm

Sundays: 3:00pm

Price: $20-$38

Show Type: Drama

Running Time: 2 hours with 1 intermission

www.galatheatre.org

GALA Hispanic Theatre Seating Chart

Anna in the Tropics Reviews

Average Rating based on 3 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Washington Post - Recommended

"... But it’s the personal dynamics, not the intellectual themes, that surge to the fore in this production, which marks the Spanish-language premiere of Cruz’s play. (The production has English surtitles. The Spanish translation is credited to the playwright and Nacho Artime.) In particular, actors portraying two sets of couples create moments of arresting intimacy, while emphasizing the human ability to endure and trust in the face of disappointment and suffering. Licha, who played Ofelia in Arena Stage’s 2004 English-language “Anna in the Tropics,” gives this version of the character a compelling air of determination and pain-tempered dignity — traits that add layers of feeling to Ofelia’s scenes with her irresolute, gambling-prone husband, Santiago (Hugo Medrano)."

- Celia Wren

MD Theatre Guide - Recommended

"...From the opening scene, where Santiago writes down the debts he owes on the bottom of his half-brother’s shoe, the play examines the power of text and language. A poetic playwright, Cruz demonstrates amply the power of lyrical speech. The language of the English version of the play (flashed in surtitles on a screen above the stage) is simple but intensely poetic. The Spanish version, which Cruz translated from English himself, along with Nacho Artime, is polysyllabic, muscular, and flowing, the kind of language whose poetry one can ride for sentences at a time."

- Pat Davis

DCTheatreScene - Highly Recommended

Nilo Cruz’ exquisite verbal symphony about the transforming power of literature simmers with surprising moment-to-moment vitality, thanks to this new Spanish interpretation of the 2003 Pulitzer winner Anna in the Tropics and an inspired GALA ensemble. As directed by Jose Carrasquillo, this Washington D.C. premiere heightens Cruz’ celebrated poetic dialogue.

- Rosalind Lacy

Anna in the Tropics at GALA Hispanic Theatre