After the curtain falls at the end of each performance, the stars of the musical Real Women Have Curves, Justina Machado, Florencia Cuenca, Aline Mayagoitia, and Tatianna Córdoba, can feel they’ve connected with the audience that fills the James Eral Jones Theater every night in the heart of Broadway, New York City.
“People share their stories and their hearts with me, and how they’ve found in the show a mirror to see themselves and how they feel seen, heard, and represented,” says Cuenca, who plays Estela, the owner of a small textile factory struggling to get ahead. “Mexicans and Latinas, people from many places around the world.”
The play, which officially opens this Sunday, has garnered applause in previews, with celebrities such as Eva Longoria, Sofía Vergara, Roselyn Sánchez, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, among others, all enthusiastically giving it their seal of approval.
It’s no wonder. Mayagoitia emphasizes that this musical offers a true “catharsis” to anyone who has the opportunity to experience it. “It heals your relationship with your body, with your sister, with your mother,” says the Mexican actress who plays Itzel, a young immigrant whose aspirations collide with Immigration. “I think we’re portraying wounds that many women carry and offering therapy for the heart,” she adds. “At the end of the show, we met our audience at the stage door, and everyone cried.”
Based on the play by Josefina López that inspired the iconic 2002 film of the same name starring América Ferrera, RWHC contains a powerful message of hope and resilience encapsulated in the story of Ana (Córdoba), a recent high school graduate whose academic aspirations clash with the reality of her family living in East Los Angeles, where her older sister (Cuenca) runs, with the help of her mother Carmen (Machado) and much effort, a small textile factory where immigrant women like them survive by sewing clothes.
When the small clothing company receives a crucial order for 200 dresses from a demanding client, Ana is forced to juggle her ambition to attend a prestigious university in New York with her mother’s demand that she support her family. “The portrayal is authentic, the cast incredible,” admits Machado, who is of Puerto Rican descent, who emphasizes that her character is a survivor. “The story of immigrants, the dynamic between mother and daughter; the coming-of-age story has authenticity and joy.”
Thanks to the music and composition of Joy Huerta—the first Mexican to compose a Broadway musical—those emotions bubble to the surface. “What I take away most from this experience is what it brought out within me, what we do with life’s circumstances,” says the Grammy Award winner. “It’s a beautiful story of family, of perseverance, of much change and love. I am a mother, daughter, sister, and friend, and I identify with all these characters in how they handle life.”
If the goal was thought-provoking, in addition to entertaining, Córdoba assures that mission has been accomplished. “I’ve learned a lot about being myself without complexes thanks to this character,” observes the artist of Costa Rican roots. “RWHC is a love letter to all the women in our lives. It will make you feel empowered and brave.”
