Review: ‘Anna in the Tropics’ at Pasadena’s A Noise Within

Tania Verafield, Rose Portillo and Katie Rodriguez in ‘Anna in the Tropics’ at A Boise Within (Photo – Craig Schwartz)

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“Anna in the Tropics” tells the story a Cuban immigrant family, who run a small cigar company with their workers in Tampa, Florida. If the “Roaring 20s” had lots of smoke-filled rooms, Santiago (Leandro Cano) and his wife Ophelia (Rose Portillo) provided the cigars.

Reviewed by Javier Ortiz

Tampa of the 1920s could not have been farther away from the imperial Russian society of St. Petersburg, as depicted in Leo Tolstoy’s literary paragon, “Anna Karenina”. For playwright Nilo Cruz, distance did little to prevent him from weaving Tolstoy’s yarn about a married socialite’s love affair into the fabric of his own, Pulitzer Prize winning play.

To his credit, the venturous young Director Jonathan Muñoz-Proulx, did not let the gravitas of a Pulitzer Prize or the Tolstoy surname shy him away from this rendition, staged by the A Noise Within (ANW) theater group; and all his daring pays off well.

Veteran actress, Rose Portillo as Ofelia, anchors the cast with a cadence in dialogue that provides soulful syncopation to the afro-Cuban rhythms of The Buena Vista Social Club’s “Chan-Chan”, which flows into the show’s atmosphere and performances.

Katie Rodriguez’ nimble portrayal as Marela, the quixotic young maiden, provides the comic relief and the story’s more endearing moments.

Gabriel Bonilla as Cheché, Santiago’s scheming half-brother who aims to modernize the factory, and Matias Ponce as Palomo, Conchita’s philandering husband, round out the cast well, but it is truly the women who steal the show.

Matias Ponce, Leandro Cano, Rose Portillo, and Tania Verafield (Photo – Craig Schwartz)

The debonair new “Lector”, Juan Julian, as portrayed by Jason Manuel Olazábal together with Tania Verafield as Conchita, ratchet up the heat on the cigar factory floor. A heat quenched only when the Lector carries workers far away into Anna Karenina’s snowy St. Petersburg with his skillful reading as they toil in the work of forming exquisite, handcrafted cigars.

In the 1920’s, the nascent technology was radio, but most of what we refer to as “Pop Culture” today would have been transmitted via novels, short stories, and newspapers of the time. How does the entertainment we consume impact our day-to-day lives?

When Nilo Cruz wrote “Anna in the Tropics”, the internet was just catching wind in its sails and revolutionizing how the world would indulge in escapism. In 2022, social media has zoomed well past its nascent stage and engulfed all forms of entertainment. It begs to question: what is our “Anna Karenina”?

Santiago, Ofelia, Marela, Conchita, and even Palomo, were so raptured by the romance in Tolstoy’s classic that it influenced similar dramas which play out in their own lives for our entertainment. Where is the Anna in our Tropics?

Could it be a gallant Will Smith defending his wife’s honor with a slap across a comedian’s face at the Academy Awards? Or, perhaps the enthralling saga of Kanye’s jealous tirades as Kim and her new lover vacation in St. Tropez?

More importantly, can those seemingly distant stories impact our own lives more directly than we are willing to admit?

I think Nilo Cruz is happier to entertain those of us who venture out to a performance of his beloved “Anna In The Tropics” rather than answer some modern philosophical question. That sort of stuff is best mulled over with drinks, after the show, at the local watering hole.

If you’re lucky enough to catch ANW’s production of Anna in the Tropics, with performances running through April 17^th, you will be entertained. Just wear something breathable because things certainly do get steamy, just like a 1920’s Cuban cigar factory in Tampa, Florida ought to be.

"Anna in the Tropics”
By Nilo Cruz
Theater Group: A Noise Within
Director: Jonathan Muñoz-Prouix
Cast: 
Leandro Cano: Santiago
Gabriel Bonilla: Cheché
Rose Portillo: Ofelia
Katie Rodriguez: Marela
Tania Verafield:Conchita
Matias Ponce: Palomo/Eliades
Jason Manuel Olazábal: Juan Julian
Until April 17
Tickets: Click this link.