USA-MEXICAN PLAY Mexican nun's 17th century play of love and lust opens to critical acclaim in Washington DC

Record ID: 632146

  • Title: USA-MEXICAN PLAY Mexican nun's 17th century play of love and lust opens to critical acclaim in Washington DC
  • Date: 17th February 2015
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MEXICAN ACTOR, ERICK SOTOMAYOR (WHO PLAYS DON CARLOS), SAYING: "As a Mexican actor, performing in a theater so beautiful as the Gala Hispanic Theatre in the capital of the United States - for me, it's a great experience, it's a blessing that any Mexican actor would like to have. And above all this play, which is so marvelous, which despite the years,
  • Embargoed: 4th March 2015 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVACCXOQVJ6ZJ9RZI9V2QPKUQNFK
  • Story Text: Three centuries ago, at the onset of Spanish colonial rule in Mexico, a Mexican nun introduced the local viceroy and his court to the twists and turns of love and lust among conniving aristocrats, sharp-tongued servants and poor, but noble, heroes and heroines in her play "House of Desires" (known in Spanish as "Los Empenos de una Casa").
    And today, a cast of Latin American actors led by an Argentine director, has resurrected the production at Washington D.C.'s GALA (Grupo de Artistas Latinoamericanos) Hispanic Theatre.
    "House of Desires" was written by one of colonial Mexico's, then known as New Spain, leading intellectuals, Sister Juana Ines de la Cruz or "Sor Juana."
    It is complex satiric farce on love and honour, weaving comedic deception and misunderstanding among the aristocratic Dona Ana, her witty maid Celia, the modest Leonor, the main love interest Don Carlos, his servant Castano, Dona Ana's suitor Don Juan and her brother Don Pedro. GALA boils it down to: "Don Pedro loves Dona Leonor who loves Don Carlos who is desired by Dona Ana."
    In two hours, the production mixes lyrical poetry, puns, songs, cross-dressing and mistaken identities to sort out which couples belong together.
    Despite the humor running through play, GALA Director Hugo Medrano said he chose to produce "House of Desires" for much deeper reasons.
    He explained that the play was iconic of Sor Juana's work, making the woman the protagonist in a world very exclusive to men and taking a literary stand against racism, machismo, hypocrisy and censorship.
    "Sor Juana (referring to playwright Sister Juana Ines de la Cruz) had a very radical position with respect to the patriarchal ruling classes of the 17th century and those times and much steelier in colonial Mexico during that time. So it's one of the plays where she most strongly raises that issue," he said.
    The illegitimate child of a Spanish captain and a Criolla woman, Sor Juana was born near Mexico City into a colonial society ruled by intricate social behaviors, strict prohibitions and a sharply defined social hierarchy.
    Even as a young teenager, Sor Juana was renowned for her scholarship and intelligence. At 20, she entered a convent and continued writing - from plays to poetry to essays - producing work that became increasingly feminist. She was soon known as "The Tenth Muse" of poetry and found herself facing controversy for her "Reply to Sister Philotea", a letter in which she vehemently defended women's right to education.
    Luz Nicolas is a Spanish actor who plays Dona Ana's quick-witted maid, Celia. She explained that "House of Desires" delivered in colonial times - and still delivers today - a necessary message about women's place in society, rejecting machismo and promoting equality.
    "It's important to remember that within the play being a comedy, to say "Careful - this continues to happen" and it's being told in an entertaining way, but Sor Juana wanted to make it very clear that it should not happen. That women should be equal to men because we are the same thing, made of the same material," Nicolas said.
    Despite her fame and acclaim, Sor Juana gave up writing in 1695, facing heavy pressure by the Church. She died two years later.
    But her work lives on in schools throughout Mexico and one particular poem, "Foolish Men", is one many can quote from memory.
    For one actor, "House of Desires" is particularly meaningful. Erick Sotomayor is a Mexican television actor from Sinaloa who plays Don Carlos, the love interest of Dona Ana and Leonor.
    "As a Mexican actor, performing in a theater so beautiful as the GALA Hispanic Theatre in the capital of the United States - for me, it's a great experience, it's a blessing that any Mexican actor would like to have. And above all this play, which is so marvelous, which despite the years, that it was written in another century - for me, it is an honour," he said.
    GALA Hispanic Theatre was founded in 1976 and is a National Center for Latino Performing Arts.
    "House of Desires" will run through March 1.
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