For 10 years too long, Latinx voices have been off of Broadway's amazing stage—a space where stories of resilience, culture, and identity deserve a spotlight. But now, the silence is breaking. Latinos have made it a point to not be forgotten and we can now expect a new musical theatre piece with previews coming out in April.
While Broadway has not had a Latinx show in 10 years, fans can now expect Real Women Have Curves the musical to hit center stage. The last Latino show to make it on Broadway was On your Feet which was in 2015 and was a musical based on the life of Gloria and Emilio Estefan.
Icon and TV legend Justina Machado will star in the Broadway musical adaptation based on the play and film with the same name. From 2017 to 2020 Machado starred as Penelope Alvarez in the comedy series One Day at a Time. In 2023, she played the leading role in The Horror of Dolores Roach which is a comedy-horror series. Machado had previously starred in the play as Ana early in her career in Chicago and played Carmen in the musical’s American Repertory Theater run.
Tatianna Córdoba will share the stage in her debut role as Ana with Machado playing her mother, Carmen. Córdoba’s is Latina and Filipina and believes her duty as an actress is to give back to her community and show that representation matters. She shares a heartwarming acceptance video chat on her instagram and expresses, “All I've ever wanted to do is show other young brown girls that we have a place here. That we belong. That theater needs us. And to get the opportunity to do that on this scale means so much to me.”
If you have not seen the film, it is time to watch it before its debut. Real Women Have Curves highlights the story of Ana (played by America Ferrera) , a first-generation Mexican-American girl who faces what most mexicanas face, the inability to attend college without approval from her parents. The women in the García family work hard at a sewing factory which was something Ana never wanted to do or appreciated.
Not only does the film show her internal and external struggle but it focuses on a community of women who are all trying to make it work in a system that simply does not allow it to. Those who identify as Mexicanas will all find something to relate to in this film as we anxiously wait to see what Ana’s choices are after graduating and spending the Summer in the sewing factory.
This story is so authentic and deserving to be told on one of the biggest stages. It highlights the beauty of ordinary lives, the complexities of mother-daughter relationships, and the power of embracing one's identity in the face of societal/ familial pressures. Bringing this story to Broadway gives voice to countless untold narratives and reminds us all that there is a place for every story. It pushes against the normality of Latinas being forgotten in these spaces.
You can now buy tickets and listen to some songs as we anxiously await the debut April 1 at the James Earl Jones Theatre in New York City.
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