Anna in the Tropics: Steam Heat and a Curl of Smoke

◊◊◊◊ out of five.  2 hours, plus intermission.  Adult language, violence, sexual situations. 

Nilo Cruz's Anna in the Tropics, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, has been given a terrific production by Fells Point Corner Theatre.  It features thoughtful direction, an excellent cast, and a romantic presentation.  That this production should be a hit is a given – it is an example of community theatre at its best.  This is not your typical local fare, however.  This doesn't stray or even walk into dangerous territory, it boldly marches, and we are all the better for it. 

On the surface of it, Cruz's play is pretty straight forward.  It tells of a small hand-rolled cigar factory, run by a skeleton crew, mostly family.  These people are firmly entrenched in Latin traditions, beliefs and mores.  One daughter is a romantic, with her head in the clouds, longing for the love and passion she finds in books.  She hedges her bets with superstitious potions and the like.  The other daughter is in a passionless marriage, with a man who openly has a mistress.  The daughter decides fair is fair and announces that she will take a man on the side as well.  Divorce is out of the question, so the two live in an uneasy tension brought on by sheer will.  The parent owners of the company - he an alcoholic with an illegitimate son and she a fierce protector of her company and family – have a passionate (though not necessarily in a sexual sense) relationship.  The illegitimate son, a part owner of the factory, struggles with an empty personal life and a desire to put his stamp on the company and move it forward into the 20th century.  When the ladies hire a new lector – a man who reads novels aloud to the workers while they roll cigars – this already tenuous balance is brought to the brink of disaster.   

This sexually charged, frequently violent tale is made all the more provocative and exciting by the careful direction by local director Richard Dean Stover.  Mr. Stover has clearly researched his genre, for this production has the look and feel of a Latin romance, and a pacing that matches the play perfectly.  The play and its staging mimic the very process by which these meticulous workers roll the perfect cigars.  First, a brief exposition – alternating scenes between the women who wait for the arrival of the new lector at the docks and the men, betting on cockfights and getting drunk.  Then Cruz, Stover and company carefully dole out the details, adding layer upon layer of specifically meted out exchanges and plot twists.  Then when all is in place, it is wrapped tightly in the perfect leaf – in this case, scenes that bring us right to the edge of dramatic climaxes as each subplot boils together.  Then at last, the spark is ignited – the characters face their consequences, and we, the audience get to savor the strong and subtle flavors of this complex concoction.  The play ends, much like a cigar is smoked; a deep intake of breath, a frenzy of sensations and a satisfying exhale as the smoke curls through the air and finally vanishes.  The director deserves much credit for making this somewhat predictable plot (especially if you know the story of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina) which not so subtly parallels the action of the book the lector is reading. 

The cast deserves much credit, too.  They have formed, already, a tightly compacted ensemble, each adding their own nuance to the flavor of the piece.  One can only imagine the sparks that will fly as the run continues.  Each actor delivers their lines with excellent accents, easily understood throughout, and always with an ear for authenticity. 

As the fiery matriarch, Ofelia, Carolyn S. White, nicely plays the balance between nagging shrew and strong-willed wife.  She knows her place, but don't challenge her ability to lead!  Ms. White offers a nice delivery – snappy when necessary, often shrewd, and always interesting.  Mark Poremba, as Juan Julian, the lector with an equal passion for literature and the ladies, offers a sexually charged performance that is both passionate/sensual and enticingly underplayed.  The outward lack of forcefulness and endless suavity draws the ladies and the men, though in a much different way, to him.  Poremba is irresistible, and is, quite frankly perfect for the role. 

Several of the actors appeared this past summer in various plays in the Baltimore Playwrights Festival, and it is wonderful to see all of them in a production that forces them to bring themselves up a notch or two. Jaye Nicole, as the dreamer daughter, Marela, is a joyous blend of child-like wonder, and a young woman's stirring coming of age.  One need only watch Miss Nicole's eyes to know exactly when her character is playing, listening or feeling.  At one point, she is called upon to portray a particularly ugly physical scene, and she does so with a raw honesty that makes it all the more tragic. 

Richard Peck, so brilliant as the violent, abusive father in Almost Vermilion this past summer, has somewhat less to work with here, but he is excellent again.  Here, he plays the man of the house who takes responsibility for his shortcomings out of the love and respect he has for his family and business.  It is nice to see that Mr. Peck's range of talents reaches so far.  Not many actors are as adept at BOTH the good guy and the bad guy.  Mike Ware, clearly a chameleon of an actor (in his last play, he played at least 4 distinct characters) who wears the guise of the beaten down husband like well-worn clothing.  His sad eyes and hang dog face speak volumes for the crushing blow he faces when his beautiful wife takes up with the lector.  In a brilliantly played scene, Mr. Ware brings a forceful masculinity to a confrontation with his "wife", and ends up creating one of the most lovely, forgiving, and yet, smoky hot moments in recent memory, as the two make up and resolve to bring her new found passion into their lives. 

As Conchita, the wife who strays from her marriage, Jane Steffen scores (once again – can this actress do wrong?), making the part completely sympathetic and understandable.  So firm is she in her belief that fair is fair in affairs, Steffen's scene where she tells her husband what she is going to do makes you want to cheer her on, no matter how you feel about adultery.  The ultimate scene for this actress and the men she gets to work with is one where Conchita lures Juan Julian into her arms with a sexy speech about a hair cutting ritual, which she allows him to do to her, all while her husband watches from the shadows.  It is nearly impossible not to feel the sexual energy between Steffen and Poremba, and not to sympathize with Mr. Ware's heartbreaking expression of resignation, mixed with anger, hurt, and jealousy.  It is such moments that make this play really soar.

Finally, in the complex, angry role of Cheche, Michael Leicht (one of the only good things about C.Y.A. this summer) gives a riveting performance.  The intensity of his eyes, the exactness of his movements and maddeningly complicated delivery of his lines combine to make his performance one of the best of the year.  When he talks about his wife leaving him, Leicht is a seething mass of angst, loneliness, rage, and a palpable sexuality.  The passion of his speeches about making the factory more modern are rousing, and his irate lashing out at the lector is stirring.  As we realize that Cheche's anger is becoming increasingly misplaced – he blames the lector for everything, when it is really himself that he sees in Anna Karenina – it becomes a heart-pounding race to see if the lector can finish his tale before Cheche breaks and the two stories converge into one violent, tragic moment.  Mr. Leicht is masterful at exposing then hiding his characters' flaws, making it hard to keep your eyes off of the actor, just to see what he might do. 

If you know the story of Anna Karenina, then you can likely figure out how this fiery fairy tale ends.  But whether you do or not, the journey to that end is what is most satisfying.  By the end you are left spent and smoldering like newly smoked cigar.

Anna in the Tropics runs through October 21 at Fells Point Corner Theatre. 

PHOTOS: By Ken Stanek.  TOP to BOTTOM: Carolyn S. White, Jane Steffen and Jaye Nicole; Michael Leicht and Richard Peck; The Cast of Anna in the Tropics; Michael Leicht and Mark Poremba. 

To post a comment, you must register and login.