On a humid spring night, hundreds of anxious people scramble with their glasses of wine for quilted velvet red chairs inside New York City’s Repertorio Espanol to witness the sold out Spanish production of Doña Flor y Sus Dos Maridos. Some viewers settle for small metal seats while others wait as standbys, hoping that a spare ticket will be available for Director Jorge Ali Triana‘s play. Doña Flor y Sus Dos Maridos, based on the 1976 hit film inspired by Jorge Amado’s novel, is a folk tale filled with music, ghosts, and lots of sex, keeping the audience cheering for more.
About half an hour after the expected 8PM showing, the audience is no longer on East 27th Street in Manhattan, but instead, in a loud, lively street carnival in present-day Bahia, Brazil. A man wearing a cardinal red dress and a stuffed phallus grinds against an eager young woman when suddenly, he plunges to the floor. A howling, bewildered Doña Flor (Denise Quiñones) throws herself on top of her now dead husband Vadinho (Francisco Gattorno). It is then that narrator Mirandao (Anthony Alvarez) begins to tell the story acted in flashbacks of how Flor, a naïve virgin, marries the town’s most promiscuous playboy, only to have him haunt her wet dreams beyond the grave.
Shortly after marrying Vadinho, Flor’s many problems begin unveiling: her husband gambles with exotic dancers every night while she’s home alone preparing dinner for the two of them. Not only is she unable to bear him a child to salvage their relationship, but she must also deal with nosy neighbors gossiping over her marriage. Once Vadinho dies, Flor’s sexual urges drive her to quickly marry Teodoro (Pedro Serka), a shy, highly-respected doctor who can’t seem to satisfy his wife’s appetite. On the anniversary of Vadinho’s death, he comes back as a naked ghost to fulfill his widow’s desires in the bedroom. Torn between staying faithful to Teodoro and having Vadinho “eat her papaya,” Flor must decide whether to banish the enticing ghost in an exorcism or simply enjoy the best of both worlds.
Doña Flor y Sus Dos Maridos is a theatrical party that’ll keep viewers entertained all through the night. There’s been no other play or musical in New York City that’s daring enough to use traditional Latin food, like coconut milk and juicy mangos in steamy, sexual analogies. From Flor’s girlfriends keeping her from bursting with pleasure in the kitchen, to Vadinho’s ghost rollerblading in the nude, you’re guaranteed to burst out laughing all the way to the final score. More importantly, Doña Flor y Sus Dos Maridos empowers every woman, whether Latina or not, making them believe that they too can have it all.
To reserve tickets for Doña Flor y Sus Dos Maridos, click here.
