Cuban Connections

For those who grew up in a Cuban home, childhood stories of José Martí described the legendary poet and revolutionary charging the Spanish lines astride a white steed, waving his sword overhead. Parents spoke in reverent tones of the “Apostle of Cuban Independence” and his heroic death, making it impossible to separate the man from the myth. Tonight at 6:00 at the Historical Museum of Southern Florida, Cuban-American actor Chaz Mena will don period dress and a push-broom mustache to channel the spirit of the island’s founding father during Charla: A Drama About Cuban Patriot José Martí. In Mena’s one-man show, it’s 1891 and Martí struggles to persuade his countrymen living in Ybor City to join him in overthrowing Spanish rule. Mena will engage the audience by peeling the layers off the legend to reveal what made Martí tick.
Wed., Oct. 24, 6 p.m., 2007