Pulitzer-winning “Anna in the Tropics” at the Classic Theater
By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor —
A key character in Nilo Cruz’s play, Anna in the Tropics, explains that he reads Tolstoy’s novels because “Tolstoy understand humanity like no other writer does.”
Few would quarrel with that statement, but Cruz, who put that sentence in the mouth of his character, also built the entire play around the idea that a masterfully written novel can impact and change lives. The Pulitzer Prize-winning play will have its San Antonio premiere this weekend at the Classic Theater of San Antonio.
The Tolstoy novel in question here is Anna Karenina, and the person reading it aloud is Juan Julian whose job is to entertain workers of a cigar factory in Tampa, Florida, while they roll cigars by hand in the traditional Cuban way. The year is 1929 and the winds of change are already being felt. While the factory owners, Santiago and Ofelia, want to preserve the hand-rolled cigar manufacturing, Santiago’s American-born half-brother Chester, known as Cheche, is eager to introduce machines to speed up the process and increase profits.
The tension between the brothers is further aggravated by gambling debts and Cheche’s past personal experiences, but that’s just one tense relationship among several in the play. The presence of the cultured and handsome Juan, combined with the dramatic story of Anna Karenina – a 19th century Russian story of adultery and emotional suffering – seems to cast a spell over Santiago’s entire family which includes daughters Conchita and Marela, as well as Conchita’s husband Palomo. Tensions and yearning permeate the atmosphere at the factory, as the lives of the characters echo the developments in the novel.
Though Anna in the Tropics won the Pulitzer Prize in 2003, the Classic Theater’s artistic director Kelly Hilliard Roush wasn’t exactly taken by it when she first saw it a few years ago in a college production. But while deciding on the 2019-20 season, she consulted with a couple of trusted colleagues in other cities who convinced her to actually read the play.
“They said, go back and read it, so I did,” said Roush who is directing the Classic’s production. And she experienced a revelation. “It was one of the most beautiful plays I had ever read, amazing language, amazing character development; it’s so rich and deep. Oh, I loved it!”
And then she read the entire 900 pages of Anna Karenina as well, to help her understand all the resonances that exist between the two literary works.
Though she loved Cruz’s poetic language – that reminded some reviewers of Chekhov – it also represented “a challenge for us,” noted the director. “A play is about action. The language is beautiful but we can’t be too precious about it. What happens (in the play) is not a slow poem; it’s a whirlwind… everybody is fighting for their life.”
Passion, infidelity, jealousy, anger, weakness, revenge and tragedy, are all part of the picture in addition to the themes interwoven throughout the narrative of losing traditions, facing change and the “dangerous” power of art.
Putting the cast together was another challenge, especially finding the actor to play Juan Julian. Though the Classic likes to work with local performers, at one point, the director was ready to look beyond San Antonio to find the right guy. Ultimately, she found him at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center where Mark Riojas is the current theater & production manager. Experienced in both acting and producing, he had to interrupt his career for a period of a few years while dealing with illness, so this role has given him a welcome opportunity to get back on stage, he said. Working with Roush and the Classic’s team has also allowed him to experience a well-organized team effort, something he hopes to benefit from as the Guadalupe is looking to revive its own, once very active, theater program.
As for his role, what Riojas is enjoying the most is the demeanor of his character who is largely still, almost like a deity, and calm. “I am used to so much chaos in my normal life that I am intrigued by him,” said the actor.
The way he sees it, the theme of the play as a whole is “learning how to love,” not just in romantic relationships but within a family as well. “He, Juan, knows how to love and he becomes like a teacher to the others.”
Anna in the Tropics, Fridays-Saturdays 8 p.m., Sundays 3 p.m., through March1; Classic Theater of San Antonio, 1924 Fredericksburg Rd.; for tickets call 210-589-8450 or go to www.classictheatre.org