The Promethean Theatre and NSU bring you “A Bearded Lover,” a play full of amazing acting, hilarious lines and surprising twists.
The play, written by Juan C. Sanchez, is set in Cuba in 1953 as three sisters prepare for a journey on the sea. The sisters, Ines (Ursula Cataan), Lucia (Gladys Ramirez) and Dolores (Deborah L. Sherman) let us into their lives and hearts as they prepare for their trip, reveal secrets and move past their disabilities. These disabilities are a consequence of a house fire that killed their parents many years ago. Ines uses a cane. Dolores has a scarred face. Lucia has a limp leg. The fire, deaths, and disabilities take on different forms of fear, shame and guilt in the sisters’ lives, which are revealed to the audience in the two-hour play.
If there is one reason to see “A Bearded Lover,” it is the acting. Cataan, Ramirez and Sherman perform phenomenally. I can’t even begin to describe the dimension they add to these characters. They rise to the challenge of acting as disabled women. Everything is consistent and the humor is delivered perfectly. You will laugh from beginning to end, especially during the “Rosario scene” and you will want to tell all three sisters they’re beautiful even with their disabilities.
The Black Box Theater in the Don Taft University Center was the perfect location to help the actors bring life to their characters with the close quarters of the theater. The stage is an arm length away, immersing you into the storyline and into the bonds of the three.
Though the play is two hours with a 15 minute intermission, it doesn’t leave you dozing in your seat. The 120 minutes zip by as secrets are revealed and jokes are thrown about. The first half consists of an introduction into their lives as you witness the roles of each sister, while the second half digs deeper into the sisters’ lives as individuals. The second half will also surprise you with the revealing of secrets, thoughts and experiences Sanchez weaves in using history and entertainment.
The 1953 revolution in Cuba comes to light catapulting the storyline into informational entertainment and a bit of chaos. Unfortun-ately, I want to affix many different endings to the script. I left feeling like all that acting was thrown out the window for “an ending you’ll never forget.” Sanchez didn’t need to add crazy antics for his play to be memorable.
Though the ending could’ve used a little fine tuning, “A Bearded Lover” is a play I recommend seeing. This is an opportunity to watch award-winning acting at NSU.
The play runs until March 6 with performances Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets are $10 for NSU students, $15 for all other students under the age of 25, $20 for seniors and $25 for general admissions. Call 866-811-4111 for tickets or visit www.theprometheantheatre.org.
