Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The dutiful musical version of REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES has ample heart and melody

• By drediman
• May 6, 2025
• No Comments

Over at the James Earl Jones Theatre, you’ll find the latest incarnation of Josefina López’s 1990 play Real Women Have Curves — this time around, it’s the musical version of the property (note that the play was also turned into a film in 2002). Set in 1987 Los Angeles in a dress-making shop, the work depicts a group of Latina workers — many of them undocumented — rushing to finish a demanding, high stakes order under the additional pressure of having to navigate the challenges of living in a country that disregards them and at times actively seeks to cast them out.

There’s no denying the dramatic appeal of Real Women Have Curves, particularly as an ensemble piece. Indeed, although each narrative thread is compelling on their own, the show truly gels as an affectionate tapestry of women and their collective stories. You can see how López’s play would go on to inspire shows like Jocelyn Bioh’s vivacious 2023 comedy Jaja’s African Hair Braiding — another work that empowers working women of color — and even Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony-winning In the Heights in its portrayal of the broader Latino community. Smartly, Lisa Loomer and Nell Benjamin’s dutiful book for the musical leans in on this wide-angle viewpoint. It also does an effective job of highlighting the fears that threaten these women’s day-to-day existence, in the process acknowledging the show’s unfortunate newfound relevance in our current administration (under which immigrant rights are at real risk). Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez’s melodic score is vibrant and well-crafted, articulating López’s play in the musical theater vernacular with great care, if also some predictability.

The production has been directed and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo, whose staging unfolds smoothly on Arnulfo Maldonado’s efficient and colorful set. Where Real Women Have Curves really shines is in its performances, which are delivered with ample heart and warmth. Particularly endearing are the performances by Tatianna Córdoba and Florencia Cuenca as two sisters whose dreams are on the line as a result of the cards they’ve been dealt with. But perhaps best of all is Justina Machado, who plays their conflicted mother with a deep sense of conviction and persuasive lived-in quality.

RECOMMENDED

REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES
Broadway, Musical
James Earl Jones Theatre
2 hours, 15 minutes (with one intermission)
Open run