When the lights go up on Speakeasy Stage Company’s “Laughs in Spanish,” the story begins in medias res. Mari (Rebekah Rae Robles), the young Latina director of a Miami art gallery, has just discovered that her paintings have been stolen, just hours before the gallery is set to open for the prestigious Art Basel festival. In the chaos, Mari’s intern Caro (Luz Lopez) arrives with her boyfriend Juan (Daniel Rios, Jr.), a local police officer investigating the theft. However, the art heist quickly fades into the background as two more faces arrive at Mari’s gallery, transforming a comical opening scene into a big-hearted, telenovela-style story that explores the complexities of familial and romantic relationships.
The two new arrivals are Estella (Paola Ferrer), Mari’s absentee, movie star mother who spent most of her daughter’s childhood in Hollywood, and Jenny (Brogan Nelson), an old friend from Mari’s past who is now working as Estella’s assistant. The play’s action revolves around Mari, who struggles to reunite with her mother and reconnect with Jenny, all while preparing for the high-stakes gallery opening.
“Laughs in Spanish” puts the relationships between its characters front and center, and the five-person cast’s interactions are the heart of the play. In one comical scene, Juan and Caro simultaneously share two big secrets with one another, and the ensuing chaos is a joy to watch. Rios, Jr., especially, brings an air of confidence and charm to his role that lights up the theater.
Jenny and Mari have one of the most powerful relationships in the play. Once they’re finally left alone onstage, they begin to reconnect. When Jenny admits she’s been crushing on Mari since high school, Mari admits the feelings are mutual. The conversation culminates in an intimate moment between the women, before Jenny freezes, telling Mari to “kiss her in Spanish.” While Robles takes a little time to gain her footing as Mari, Nelson’s Jenny immediately makes a powerful impression onstage. In one scene, Nelson shows off her adept comedic timing and facial expressions as she listens in on a conversation between Mari and Estella, stealing focus away from the dialogue without saying a single word.
However, the focal point of the story is the complex mother-daughter relationship between Mari and Estella. Estella can’t quite explain why she’s arrived in Mari’s gallery. Meanwhile, Mari calls her mother a “bruja” whose dream to be a star took her away from her family. Estella tries to reconnect with her daughter, while Mari pushes back, saying she doesn’t need her mother meddling in her life. Despite their characters’ constant bickering throughout the show, Robles and Ferrer have an undeniable connection. Both actresses shine in these moments of tension, but Ferrer steals the show as Mari’s fame-loving mother. When Ferrer’s Estella takes center stage for a powerful monologue to close out the show, audience members — and Mari — finally begin to understand the sacrifices she made for her daughter.
Playwright Alexis Scheer succeeded in creating fully realized characters, but she failed to coalesce the show’s many themes and plotlines into a single tangible story. Beginning with an art heist, the play’s initial conflict almost immediately takes a backseat to a litany of subplots that jockey for viewers’ attention — sometimes literally, with a confusing set that splits the stage up into two halves. Director Mariela López-Ponce makes the best of her cast as well, but she too makes some frustrating choices — the stage feels crowded at times, even with just five actors. What’s more, some of the story’s key elements are left up to the audience’s imagination: A gallery with no art? A party with no guests?
However, Scheer’s script thrives in other ways, with bilingual dialogue that feels authentic (all the characters except Jenny speak Spanish) and humorous moments that see Estella and her mother code-switch into American accents as they attempt to activate the art gallery’s Alexa. The script also delivers intimate moments of romance between the two couples and a tense mother-daughter reunion between Mari and Estella. With such a talented cast, many of its shortcomings quickly fade into the background.
Ultimately, Scheer’s play is a story of relationships, of tending to them and mending them together, of spending meaningful moments with your loved ones. “Laughs in Spanish” is running now through Oct. 12 at the Calderwood Pavilion in Boston.
