Real Women Have Curves delivers powerful revival at CASA 0101 Theatre

From left: Blanca Araceli (Carmen García), Yasha Alaniz (Estela García), Stefany Arroyo (Ana García), Amy Melendrez (Rosalí) and Laura Vega (Pancha) in Josefina López’s signature play, Real Women Have Curves, directed by Corky Dominguez, being presented at CASA 0101 Theater, March 27 – May 3, 2026, www.casa0101.org – Photo by Steve Moyer Public Relations

Opening weekend audiences gave Josefina López’s revival of Real Women Have Curves at CASA 0101 Theatre standing ovations and boisterous applause. If there is one play to see in Los Angeles this month, this is it.

Set in 1987 East Los Angeles, Real Women Have Curves is a hilarious, heartwarming and riveting journey following 18-year-old Ana García as she works alongside four other full-figured Latina women racing to meet a dressmaking deadline. The women argue, gossip and hide from the ever-present La Migra. The heat is sweltering.

While Ana dreams of escaping to college in New York, the women bond over shared struggles with body image, traditional family expectations and the constant fear of immigration raids. Through resilience and humor, Ana learns to appreciate her heritage and her body, ultimately finding the strength to pursue her own path.

Estela is the only one of the women who is undocumented. She is consumed by the fear of deportation. López presents this with humor, and we laugh along. The reality is that this is especially relevant today.

Josefina López wrote the script at age 18, based on her own journals while working in her sister’s East L.A. sewing factory.

This is the fourth time veteran director Corky Dominguez has directed this play. He has created a fine ensemble with a clear purpose. There is a chemistry among the five women, who are totally in tune and in step with each other. The pacing is sharp, and López’s dialogue is firecracker fresh.

Dominguez moves them naturally and purposefully through an exceptional set designed by César Retana-Halquín. The tiny, colorful dress factory is filled with working sewing machines, mannequins, fabric, a kitchen area, a lunch table, ironing boards and dress racks. A raised bathroom is where Ana secretly writes in her journal the stories she hears.

From the moment the large, rather tough 50-year-old matriarch Carmen (Blanca Araceli) opens the door and enters chasing a mouse, with her plump but pretty daughter Ana (Stefany Arroyo) locking the door behind her, the audience is with them and laughing. Carmen is a strict, old-fashioned Mexican American mother who believes Ana should settle down, get married and have children, as she has. She is also a gifted storyteller and great with gossip (chisme).

Blanca Araceli is superb as Carmen, a role she played in the 2015 Pasadena Playhouse production of the play.

Ana is a recent high school graduate who wants to go to college but doesn’t have the money and is stuck working in the dress factory. Stefany Arroyo, making her professional debut, captures the spirit of Ana, especially in the play’s final monologue.

Estela (Yasha Alaniz) is Carmen’s other daughter, 24, and the owner of the García Sewing Factory. She is the only one of the women who is undocumented. The character is plump and rather plain-looking. Yasha Alaniz is full of energy and decisiveness as Estela, who manages her mouthy team to meet the deadline. Alaniz also gives us an Estela who is a hopeless romantic.

Rosalí (Amy Melendrez), 29, is pretty, thin, sweet and easygoing. She is always dieting, and she has her own little secret. Amy Melendrez exposes Rosalí’s vulnerability. Melendrez is a Downey native.

“Downey really gave me my roots and my home base,” Melendrez said. “That’s where my family lives. That’s where my love of theater and the arts started. I’ll always be grateful for that foundation. It led me to where I am today, where I get to keep acting and pursuing my dreams.”

Pancha (Laura Vega), 39, is a mellow, large woman with a sharp tongue. She is very traditional and a strict Catholic. Laura Vega’s Pancha is confident and sure-footed as she interacts with the others.

From left: Yasha Alaniz (Estela García), Stefany Arroyo (Ana García), Laura Vega (Pancha), Amy Melendrez (Rosalí) and Blanca Araceli (Carmen García) in Josefina López’s signature play, Real Women Have Curves, directed by Corky Dominguez, being presented at CASA 0101 Theater, March 27 – May 3, 2026, www.casa0101.org – Photo by Steve Moyer Public Relations

“When I wrote the first words of Real Women Have Curves in March 1988, I felt divinely guided to share my story,” López said. “I never envisioned the lasting impact and topical relevance my words would have this many years later.”

Real Women Have Curves helped launch CASA 0101 more than 25 years ago. Originally produced in San Francisco 36 years ago in 1990, it went on to revolutionize theater by placing working-class, plus-size Latina characters center stage while tackling themes of immigration, body positivity and female empowerment.

Not only is it a significant piece of Chicano theater, but it has become part of the canon of American theater. The play has been produced more than 130 times.

López and George LaVoo adapted it into the award-winning 2002 film that launched the career of America Ferrera. The late, legendary actor Lupe Ontiveros, who lived in Pico Rivera, also appeared in the film.

Ontiveros once said the play “spoke to the people because of its honesty. It didn’t matter that it was about Latinos, because it was really about everyone.”

In 2025, the story was adapted into Real Women Have Curves: The Musical on Broadway, earning two Tony Award nominations. My perception is that it was the most relevant play on Broadway that year.

CASA 0101’s production is produced by one of Los Angeles’ finest arts administrators, Emmanuel Deleage. Alejandro Parra’s lighting design colorfully enriches the set design, highlighting the action and transitions. Miguel Angel Delgado’s sound design is subtle and supportive. The highlight of Tony Iniguez’s costume design comes at the play’s finale, when the women reappear united, displaying their strength and dignity.

Remaining performances will be held Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. from through May 3 in English; Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. on April 12, 19, 26 and May 3 in Spanish, and Sunday evenings at 7:00 p.m. on April 12, 19, 26 and May 3 in English.

CASA 0101 Theatre is located at 2102 E. First St. in Los Angeles. Free parking is available at 2130 E. First St. (off Chicago Street) behind Boyle Heights City Hall. Street parking is also available. For tickets, call 323-263-7684, email tickets@casa0101.org or visit www.casa0101.org

Tickets are $25 general admission, $22 for students and seniors, and $20 for Boyle Heights residents and groups of 10 or more.