Despite the roaring thunder and downpour, the cast and crew of Laughs in Spanish are blissfully rehearsing inside closed doors at GableStage. Nothing is going to rain on their parade.
Laughs in Spanish is the little show that could. Originally slated to open to Miami audiences on May 17, the show was pushed back one week, opening instead on Saturday, May 25.
The show's director, Victoria Collado, steps out of rehearsal and takes a seat on a nearby bench. She adjusts in her seat and pushes back her reading glasses until they sit neatly atop her head. Her head tilts back as she laughs at all the absurdity that has led to this opening week — namely, one of her actors literally breaking a leg.
During technical rehearsals, one of the stars tripped on stage and broke her ankle. After a few days of rest, Marcela Paguaga, who plays an aspiring artist named Caro, was back on stage and in crutches.
Still, the show must go on.
"Even when her foot heals, Caro is going to be with a broken foot[on stage," says Collado. "We've found it's actually made everything ten times more fun."
Throughout the pre-production, "Life has been happening to us, and somehow it has made us [and the show] better," she adds, holding her pen with a fuzzy baby blue heart topper.
The director steadies her notepad on her lap. The pages are covered with scribbles and cast notes waiting to be delivered. Less than one week until opening night, the five-person cast has successfully completed their first uninterrupted run tonight. Even the crew emerges from backstage to clap it up and celebrate.
"It's been a little bit of a journey to literally just get this play up," Collado says with a laugh. "So today was a victory for us to get one complete run today. That happened, and it was it was a team effort!"
The premise of the play centers around a young gallery owner named Mariana (Mariana Mondragon), who is setting up a show during Miami Art Week. Days before the gallery show, all the paintings go missing, and her mom, who happens to be a famous actor, comes into town to shake things up."It's been a little bit of a journey to literally just get this play up. So today was a victory for us to get one complete run today."
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While Mariana is freaking out about her upcoming show, her aspiring artist intern, Caro, steps up (pero not literally because she has a broken foot) to donate her paintings to the gallery. In the meantime, Caro's fiancé is building a newfound friendship with Estella, Mariana's mom, who proves to be a little criminal. It's a totally crazy, hilarious mess that unfolds on stage.
Yet, a tender relationship between a mother and her daughter is at the heart of this super Miami tale. Gripping at the air in front of her, Collado finds the right words to describe this dynamic. "It's really about listening and understanding each other," she says, pausing for a brief moment.
"I was lucky enough to have a truly spectacular mom. She really was the mom that would come through for me and be at all my shows. Although these two characters have a dissimilar relationship, there are so many moments throughout the show that are quintessential mother-daughter moments."
What initially drew Collado to the project was how hyperlocal the storyline was.
"I'm having like a Miami moment," says the Cuban-American. "There's something so special about really figuring out what makes Miami beautiful, and I just feel a lot of gratitude for my city right now."
She continues, "A lot of people portray Miami in the way they think it is, and for the first time, we have characters saying 'literally' and 'bro' and 'stop eating shit,' and it's not trying to be anything. It's just a script written by someone who lived here and understands it."
The story was written by South Florida native and Colombian-American Alexis Scheer, who currently resides in New York City. However, her play makes it evident that Miami raised her.
Laughs in Spanish blends all the Miamisms into one 80-minute performance. Aside from the language itself, the show also features plenty of references only locals will understand. Perhaps the pièce de résistance is when Estella, played by Gaby Tortoledo, takes the stage to recite a moving monologue, and her first line is, "I saw God at Pollo Tropical."
The setting for the play is none other than Wynwood, which means the set needs to deliver all the pizzazz of the arts district and keep the same vibe.
A "Welcome to Wynwood" sign is painted along the front of the stage. On either side, large murals featuring faces of women with large eyes staring off into the audience. The original artwork is done by Miami native and muralist Diana "Didi" Contreras. Adding to just how Miami this production is, the team hired former Power 96 radio host Lucy Lopez as their director of cultural and community marketing. Tremenda pinta.
In the end, Laughs in Spanish is a play that will bring Miami audiences a sense of local pride and a bit of joy.
"We all need a little bit of joy in our lives, and this play brings a lot of joy," says Collado with a tender smile.
Laughs in Spanish. Saturday, May 25, through Sunday, June 23, at GableStage, 1200 Anastasia Ave., Coral Gables; 305-445-1119; gablestage.org. Tickets cost $30 to $60. Performances occur Wednesday 2 and 7:30 p.m., Thursday through Saturday 7:30 p.m., and Sunday 2 p.m.
