Film
7.2
10
4.6
Theatre
Anna in the Tropics by Nilo Cruz
Winner of the 2003 Pulitzer Prize, this captivating story unfolds in 1929 Ybor City, Florida, where a community of Cuban-American cigar factory workers, mostly women, gather to hand-roll cigars. Their routine is disrupted by the arrival of a new lector, Juan Julian, whose role is to entertain by reading great literature. His choice of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina soon sparks unexpected changes among the workers. As Juan Julian’s voice fills the hot, humid Florida summer, the lives of Tolstoy’s characters begin to mirror the secrets, desires, and conflicts of the listeners. The oppressive heat transforms into the chill of a Russian winter as themes of infidelity, financial strain, and violence come to the forefront. The workers and factory owners are forced to confront new truths about life, love, and business in this rich and layered narrative.
This was perhaps one of the most challenging roles I’ve ever worked on, where extreme character vulnerability and real technical ice-climbing situations shared a tiny ledge on stage. This is an interview by the SnoValleyStar newspaper.