Asolo Repertory Theatre's Anna in the Tropics

SARASOTA — The Asolo Repertory Theatre continued its season on Friday night with the opening of Nilo Cruz’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, Anna in the Tropics.

Set in 1929 Ybor City, Cruz transports us to the heyday of Tampa's Latin quarter when cigars were hand-rolled in small factories while workers listened to "lectors" read books, newspapers, and periodicals on the factory floor.

Santiago and his wife, Ofelia, own a small cigar factory where their daughters, Merela and Conchita, work, along with Conchita's husband, Palomo, and Santiago's half-brother, Cheché.

After the previous lector passes away at an old age, Ofelia hires Juan Julián, a handsome young man who travels from their native Cuba to take the job. The women of the factory are quite taken by his poignant readings of Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. The men, especially Cheché, whose wife left him for a lector, are less enchanted.

Set in the twilight of the hand-rolled era, before mechanization would bring an end to the tradition of lectors, along with many of the workers, Cruz's themes seem eerily relevant as AI threatens traditional work across so many modern industries.

Juan Luis Acevedo and Zuleyma Guevara have solid chemistry as Santiago and Ofelia, a frustrated couple whose matrimonial limits are tested by Santiago's penchant for drinking and gambling. Kanisha Marie Feliciano is radiant as Marela, a blossoming young lady eager to seek the sort of adventures she eagerly absorbs through the books.

Gabriell Salgado delivers on the magnetism of Juan Julián, reciting prose-laden passages with poetry and grace. Nick Duckart does a masterful job as Cheché, the villainous family outsider awash in anger and resentment, and Jose-Maria Aguila imbibes Palomo with the complexities the character deserves.

However, it is Jenyvette Vega's performance as Conchita that left the most indelible impression. Vega's thirst for passionate romance and palpable longing to be more than an oft-ignored wife to her philandering husband jumps off the stage in scene after poignant scene.

Regina García's gorgeous set is everything you expect from an Asolo mainstage production, while Ana Kuzmanić comes through with period-perfect costume designs.

Cruz endows the drama with just enough comedy to serve as a release valve for its considerable tension. The play explores complicated relationship themes in a smart and engaging fashion, while shifting the lens from coming of age (Marela), to early marriage doldrums (Conchita and Palomo), to lovers scorned (Cheché) to late-stage impasses (Santiago and Ofelia).

The story walks a bit of a tightrope in the penultimate scene but deftly manages to pull it all together for a deeply satisfying ending. Directed by Marcela Lorca, Anna in the Tropics runs through March 13 in the Mertz Theatre at the FSU Center for Performing Arts. Visit the Asolo website for more information.

Dennis "Mitch" Maley is a novelist, as well as an editor and opinion columnist for The Bradenton Times. In addition to his regular Sunday column, he hosts our weekly podcast and does travel features, as well as theater, restaurant, and wine reviews. He is a graduate of Shippensburg University and later served as a Captain in the U.S. Army. Click here for his bio. His books are available here.