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Produced
and Directed by Odalys Nanin
Two
passionate Latinas, one American and
one Cuban in a hurricane of love, lust
and other devastations.
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Click Below to View Pictures
Odalys
Nanin as Laura
Terri Lyn Rain as Rachel
Venue:
The Victory Theatre
Reviews:
Back Stage West by Polly Warfield
The surefooted authority with which scenes flow
proclaims the skill and versatility of Odalys Nanín,
who produced the play, co-wrote it (with Marie
Barrientos), directed, co-stars in it, and helms
Macha (as opposed to macho) Theatre Company as its
founder and artistic director. Nanín
doesn't just do all this, she does it well.
This love story takes a refreshingly light
and playful tone, a la screwball comedies of the
30's and 40's. A bumpy road to romance can
be fun.
Nanín's Laura and Terri Lyn Rain's Rachel
are gorgeous and well contrasted. Looks and
manner of lushly curvaceous brunette Nanín
bespeak her Cuban origin, which she accents with
bongo beats on that bright red drum, plus rumba
and conga flourishes. Rain's red-haired, reedslim
Rachel resembles a sophisticated young Cher.
Both have dazzling smiles, panache, and humor.
FRONTIERS by Les Spindle
Acclaimed actress/writer/director Odalys Nanín
is back, which once again proves to be great news
for the lesbian theatre scene. Nanín
launched her Macha Theatre company two years ago
with a brilliant lesbian adaptation of Lorca's "Blood
Wedding" and followed that up last fall with
the intelligent comedy " Garbo's Cuban Lover."
Now she's revisiting "Love Struck" a play
she co-wrote with Marie Barrientos, which premiered
in 1997 at the Hudson Theatre. We enjoyed
the earlier incarnation, and Nanin's current expanded
version, which she produces, directs, and appears
in, seems even more satisfying. The 80 minute
piece is such a breezily enjoyable lark that it
seems to sail by in half the time.
During some hilarious bits, she summons up memories
of Lucy and Ricky's romance in "I Love Lucy"
and Rock Hudson and Doris Day in glossy film comedies
of the 1960's. The impact of the scenes goes
beyond their sweetness and humor; they essentially
present lesbian romance as transcendent, a taken-for-granted
element in a continuum of sexual attractions.
There's also a touch of Woody Allen's satiric style
in a narrative that goes back and forth in time,
including soliloquies, to depict the journey of
a relationship. The actresses are a joy to
watch, and both have a keen sense of comic timing.
Production values live up to the impeccable Macha
standards, with Dan Reeder's handsome interior set,
D. Stewart Farquhar's crisply efficient lighting,
and Scott Nikoley's atmospheric sound effects.
The show's a class act through and through, and
a marvelously entertaining way to kick off the fall
season. |
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