Student Blog: Home Again

Let me introduce myself first. My name's Max, I'm from Costa Rica, and I haven't been in a theater in almost 20 months. Until today. I got tickets to the 11 a.m. matinee of "Henrietta", a new Costa Rican original musical, at The National Theatre.

Naturally, the venue followed every single health guideline required by the government, including reduced capacity (only 350 seats available) and mandatory use of masks the whole time. Unlike every other show I've seen here, they didn't give me a programme, so that was hard to swallow. The whole audience was still adjusting to this "new normality", but I could tell they were also starving for live entertainment again.

This musical about Henrietta Boggs, one of our most distinguished first ladies, follows her life as she falls in love with president José Figueres Ferrer, witnessing the Civil War and the army abolishment, while also pushing the movement to give Costa Rican women the right to vote. Premiering during Costa Rica's Bicentennial, it's no surprise this show received a great response at the box office, with sold out performances for the entire season.

Last time I was here everything was different. There were no restrictions, there were no masks. Debi Nova (Grammy-nominated Costa Rican pop superstar) performed at that same stage for Valentine's Day. I had no idea that was the last time I was gonna be there in over a year. When the pandemic hit, things changed drastically. The performing arts community was bleeding. Some people lost their jobs and some venues closed. Some of them never recovered.

So eventually, I was happy when I found out this brand-new musical was going to happen. And I was even happier when I discovered some friends and colleagues were involved on the show. It was a delight to see my friend, Nicole Laurent, playing the title role. I first met her four years ago, during "Chicago" auditions. I was a production assistant at the time, and she was auditioning for the ensemble. She got there very early and was the first person in line. She gave a great audition, but she looked too young. She didn't get any role at the time, but she didn't give up and now she's playing the lead role. But not only that, she's performing at Costa Rica's most beloved theater.

The National Theatre has a special place in my heart. This is the place where I had my first professional gig in theatre. I was part of the production team in an "Alice in Wonderland" ballet back in 2017. I spent days inside that building, doing all kinds of jobs, from taking pictures for the press to fixing some of the costumes before every performance. The next year, I auditioned for the same show and I got the role of the Knave of Hearts, for which I had to eat 8 cookies during each show. I've been everywhere in this theater: working backstage, performing on stage, and now, enjoying the show from the audience. But no matter where I am, this place never ceases to amaze me.

When the show finished, I left feeling hopeful. Despite the rough times we'd all gone through, there was space to tell our own stories on stage. I was reminded that there's a lot of talent in this country. The musical theatre industry is in diapers, but there are people willing to help it grow. I can't compare this show to any colossal production on Broadway, but it was definitely a startpoint. Today, even though the heat and the mask were asphyxiating, it was the most comfortable I felt in twenty months. I was home again.