Real Women Have Curves announced it is set to close on June 29th due to soft ticket sales. The Broadway musical officially opened on April 27th and was recently nominated for two Tony Awards, for Best Original Score and Best Featured Performance by an actress for Justina Machado.
Broadway shows come and go, but Real Women Have Curves has graced the stage at a time when it could not be more needed. The show itself serves as a testament to the sacrifices made by immigrants to this country and the labor and exploitation they endure. It’s a beautiful homage to the hopes and dreams of immigrants and first gen kids at a time when immigrants are being vilified and dehumanized both in the media and by the administration at large.
Social media and government propaganda are quick to strip immigrants of their humanity. Which is why counter programming like this musical is so desperately needed at this moment in history. We shouldn’t have to say that immigrants are people with hopes and dreams who face hardships and guilt over the lives and people they left behind for people to be able to empathize with their plight and see their humanity, but here we are. The beauty of the show however is that it chooses to be a celebration of joy and hope for the better. In a world that can feel bleak at times, this show serves as a reminder of why most people migrate to this country.
Broadway is often known as “the great white way” and there is heavy emphasis on the whiteness of theatre at large. This is why representation matters so much. To see women on stage who do not meet the white, Eurocentric beauty standards so often reflected in media is crucial. Oftentimes people do not know what is possible until they see it reflected back to them. This show and its talent represent not just the realization of the hopes and dreams of the actors on stage, but also what is possible to those sitting in the audience. To have a musical with a Latina-led cast and Latine creatives behind the scenes is a rarity. To see immigrant roles portrayed by immigrants on stage is also rare and a history-making opportunity for one of the show’s stars, Florencia Cuenca.
We have grown so accustomed to seeing our Latine-led projects being canceled on the small screen by executives that to see it happening on Broadway as well is heartbreaking. It serves as an added reminder of just how difficult it is to get our projects off the ground and the hurdles faced in said projects finding an audience. The truth is that white stories and experiences are deemed as universal in the entertainment industry while POC-led and centered stories are not. A story about immigrants being told in a nation of immigrants is universal. One does not need to be of a particular culture to be able to relate to the humanity of the art and it is a shame that audiences are not flocking to this show at the moment in history where it is needed the most.
If Hamilton posed the argument that “immigrants get the job done”, Real Women Have Curves proves it. One can only hope that this show finds new life beyond this initial Broadway run and continues to inspire generations for years to come.
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