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Nilo Cruz

Two Sisters and a Piano

April 26, 2021

Directed by the author, "Two Sisters and a Piano" reveals its roots as a radio play from its reliance on poetry and language: this is a cat-and-mouse game in which the participants use words to circle each other in order to achieve their goals. But who is the cat and who is the mouse? Set in 1991 in Havana during the Pan-American Games and while the Russians are pulling out of Cuba, we meet sisters Maria Celia, a well-known novelist (played by Florencia Lozano), and Sofia, a pianist (Rubin-Vega), both under house arrest in the crumbling premises that they grew up in. As a punishment for a petition that Maria initiated and signed, the sisters were first place in prison and now are confined to their childhood home, and have not received any of their mail for months. [more]

Jericho

March 6, 2021

"Jericho" has a great deal going for it.  It is directed by Marsha Mason and features Jill Eikenberry.  These two formidable theater artists’ participation promises quality which is evident from the first scene on to the quietly scathing denouement.  Jericho also has proven itself in a run in 2013 at the 59E59 Theaters.  Its intimate, six character scale lends itself to the close-ups of streaming which Mason deftly juggles with a combination of in-your-face emotion and wit. [more]

Exquisita Agonía

May 31, 2018

Mr. Cruz realizes his scenario with his patented style. There’s rueful humor, Chekhovian reveries and a sense of the mystical all with a demonstrative Latin sensibility. The dialogue is filled with passionate eloquence and is made even more pleasurable by experiencing it in Spanish.  Some sequences have characters reciting their letters which allows for reflective ruminations.  The play takes place in the contemporary United States with several of its figures having been born in other countries. [more]