LOS ANGELES — CASA 0101 Theater will host the world premiere production tomorrow night of Founding Artistic Director Josefina Lopez’s “Queen of the Rumba, A Play With Dance” — one of her original three theatrical works as a graduate student that also included her career groundbreaking “Real Women Have Curves,” which is now Broadway-bound as a musical.
“Queen of the Rumba” will be presented on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and on Sundays at 3 p.m. for a five-week run, from Sept. 22 through Oct. 22, in the newly dedicated Gloria Molina Auditorium at CASA 0101 Theater in Boyle Heights.
“I’m so happy my play, ‘Queen of the Rumba’ is now seeing the light of day,” says Lopez. “When I was pursuing my master’s degree in Theatre at UCLA, graduating in 2002, I had to write three screenplays for my master’s thesis.
“One was the screenplay for ‘Real Women Have Curves,’ which I co-wrote with George LaVoo, the second was a screenplay called ‘Add Me to the Party,’ which hasn’t been produced as of yet, and the third screenplay, which I have now adapted into a stage play, was ‘Queen of the Rumba,’ which is inspired by the true story of Alicia Parlá, who is credited with introducing the U.S. to the dance style, the Rumba.”
“Queen of the Rumba” is directed by Corky Dominguez and stars actresses Paloma Morales (as Alicia Parlá) and Angel Juarez (young Alicia Parlá), in the titular character of the play.
Other featured members of the cast include Kenia Romero Mauricio Marte, Lolita Lozcano, Adam Jacobo, Peter Laboy, Vivian Marie Lamolli, Sammy Montero, Maricella Ibarra, Victoria Tamez and Melvin Ward.
“This year is very special time for me personally, as I will have two World Premieres happening in the last quarter of this year,” Lopez said. “Besides, ‘Queen of the Rumba,’ writer Lisa Loomer is adapting my original play, ‘Real Women Have Curves,’ which I wrote 35 years ago at the age of 18, later followed by my screenplay of the same name, into a Broadway-bound production of ‘Real Women Have Curves, The Musical.’”
“Real Women Have Curves, The Musical” will debut at American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, MA, Dec. 14, and run through Jan. 21.
“My dream is coming true!” said Lopez. “For a girl who was once undocumented for 13 years and was a ‘Dreamer’ until receiving amnesty in 1987, this has been an incredibly emotional journey, and I’m so honored to represent Latino immigrants with my story.”
CASA 0101 Theater is situated at 2102 East First Street (at St. Louis Street), Boyle Heights, CA 90033. For further information, please visit www.casa0101.org To view dance rehearsal for “Queen of the Rumba”: https://youtu.be/L2z9G_k3d2M
Tickets for “Queen of the Rumba” are $25 per person for general admission; $22 per person for Boyle Heights residents and groups of 20 of more; $20.00 per person for students and seniors 60+.
This show is recommended for all audiences. Advance reservations are highly recommended. For tickets, please call the CASA 0101 Theater Box Office at 323-263-7684, E-mail tickets@casa0101.org, or buy online at www.casa0101.org
