Anna in the Tropics...

I went to see a play last night, “Anna In the tropics” written by Nilo Cruz which was part of the B Sharp season at Downstairs Belvoir.

The blurb by Belvoir reads: -
It’s 1929 and Anna Karenina hits the steamy Tampa, Florida, by way of handsome Juan Julian who has been employed to read to cigar rollers as they work. In the hothouse environment of the factory, his choice of Tolstoy’s epic novel stirs passions and emotions that have been simmering for months as the lives of the workers are mirrored in the book. Ultimately the potent force of the novel causes all of them to think about what is at stake in life and love and the results change their existence forever. Winner of the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Anna in the Tropics is about love and progress and change and the transformative effect that literature can have on our lives.

Both my boy and I really enjoyed the play. The revamped downstairs theatre is still not what you would call first class comfort, but despite wriggling a bit I was completely engrossed.

My friend Krystal Giddings designed both the costumes and the set and both were beautiful. Amusingly one of the actresses altered one of her costumes and added in a shirt of her own in the last scene. This was the one thing I didn’t like about the production as I thought it stood out a mile! Very modern and completely unfitting with the rest of the world that Krystal had created. Actresses!

There were one or two moments of direction that I would have done differently myself, but on the whole it was really enjoyable and the world was quite believable (the actors did pretty admirably with difficult Cuban accents). Being the big girly girl that I am I shed a few tears at the end (it is unusual for me NOT to cry though…).

For a more indepth review check out the professionals…

Xx