Anna In The Tropics

Reviewed by Holly Bartges

Nilo Cruz’s 2003 Pulitzer Prize play, Anna In The Tropics at the Aurora Fox takes the audience into a little known piece of American history. At least it wasn’t highlighted in any of my Sixth Grade History books.

Chelley Canales, Concetta Troskie and Gabriella Cavallero Anna In The Tropics at the Aurora Fox.

In 1885, 40 acres nestled around Tampa, Florida called Ybor City becoming known as the Cigar Capitol of the World.

Cigar factories hired Spanish illiterates to wrap cigars along with an ingenious tradition. The workers hired and paid for Lectors to read to them from newspapers and novels. Although the workers were not able to read and write themselves, frequently they could recite long passages from Shakespeare and the classics.

This incredible tradition of educating the workers disappeared into oblivion in 1930 because of the pressure to mechanize the factories, the growing popularity of cigarette smoking, and the stock market crash.

Anna In The Tropics takes us into an old warehouse in 1929 with a family operated cigar business as the pressure to change began raising its confusing head.

Directed by Melissa Lucero McCarl, who draws out the passion and sensitivity of the stunning actors in the cast, on a functional and striking set designed by Brian Mallgrave, the play smartly introduces us to a family growing, agonizing, and struggling to keep body, mind, and soul glued together.

Excitement explodes immediately with Santiago openly played by Manuel Roybal, and his half brother Cheche arrogantly played by Jeff Garner at a cockfight. Dressed in bloodied clothes, Jude Moran runs the fight taking the bets ablaze with burning enthusiasm and cock-fight-eyes as Elades.

In quick short scenes, the lighting brightens the other side of the stage where Santiago’s wife, Ofelia (Gabriella Cavallero) waits anxiously with her two daughters Marela (Chelley Canales) and Conchita (Concetta Troskie) for the new Lector to arrive.

While Cheche continues to win, Santiago continues to lose.

Caught up in teen age romantic hormones, Marela bubbles with overt excitement wondering who the new Lector might be. Canales projects the heart-on-her-sleeve Marela with honest believability. Wisdom and hope shine from Cavallero’s depiction of the matronly Ofelia’s eyes. Troskie’s Conchita shows amusement over her sister’s “joy ride” with the quiet sophistication of a married woman.

As Santiago continues to lose, he begs Cheche to loan him money. An opportunist for power and authority, Cheche loans him the money seeing his chance to gain control over the factory if Santiago doesn’t pay him back.

Cheche wants to modernize the factory with machinery to speed up the process and do away with the Lector.

Well educated and elegant, having just arrived from Cuba, Juan Julian smoothly coupled with an elegance played by Tyee Tilghman, discovers all too soon not everyone welcomes him with open arms.

The choice of reading becomes Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina fraught with the power play of adultery on all levels.

The Lector’s chair sits on an upper level well lighted in a place of honor while the workers absorb and begin to identify with the classic story’s characters.

Depression bottles Santiago hiding in seclusion at home over his inability to pay back Cheche recognizing the stupidity of his inexcusable actions.

Cheche and Ofelia lock horns over the factory in a powerful stance by Cavallero’s Ofelia and arrogant smugness by Garner’s Cheche.

Marela gushes over the novel and Tilghman’s suave Juan. Conchita seeks out Juan for comfort and wisdom while coming toe to toe against her husband, Palomo strongly played by Moran. A loveless marriage leaves them stranded against each other.

In the fast-paced production, Anna In The Tropics reveals numerous levels of conflicted humanity brought genuinely to the surface by the talented insightful cast.

Santiago finds courage through his wife to return to the factory. Cheche confesses to his brother his secret hate for the Lector allowing his uncontrolled sexual passion to grab at Marela.

Moran steams with frustrated anger in the shadows as Palomo secretly spies on Conchita and Juan. Even in the shadows, Moran’s Palomo demands attention.

The characters pull and tug at each other romping through a myriad of emotions living on the surface of this passionate people. The chemistry of defined talent shimmers throughout the production as the cast brings the characters to wonderful incredible life.

Beautifully written by an elegant word master, the play uncovers strong emotion from frustration to joyful celebration worn honestly by the entire cast keeping the audience spell bound as Anna Karenina weaves her magic through the lives of cigar factory workers.

There is no question this is one play that definitely deserved the Pulitzer Prize, deserving particular attention for a culture and tradition forced to fade into the background.

Robert Byers’ lighting design dances in reflection to the fiery off-the-cuff flying emotions matched by El Armstrong’s sound, and Nicole Harrison’s beautiful period costuming.

Anna In The Tropics, in spite of the incredible and overwhelming theatre choices currently exhibited on the metro area stages, is a definite do not miss.

Anna In The Tropics demonstrates with calculated timing what happens when unbridled emotions take control. It also demonstrates richly how lives can be affected and reconciled leaving the audience with an honest smile of hope.