Why it's hip to be Cuban in So Cal this month

If I am surrounded by Cuban people, food, and music, you can bet that I'm probably with my big, fat, Cuban family or that I'm back in Miami. So imagine my absolute delight to find myself in this situation yesterday in Laguna Beach (practically in my own backyard, but that's not important right now) and (wait for it,Theater Geeks...) at a Cuban play!

Our local venue for this surge of Cubanism was The Laguna Playhouse. The play was Alexandros written by Melinda Lopez and this weekend was the world premiere.

Abuela, matriarch of a Cuban exile family is celebrating her 75th birthday. Apart from her age (our matriarch is 94), it could have been set at my house with my own family. And it was laugh-out-loud funny all the way through, with just enough poignancy to make the characters accessible and familiar.

Loved. It.
Loved each and every one of the characters.
Loved the way they portrayed "us."
Loved the way the story unraveled.
Loved the familiarity of the Cubanisms.
Loved the Cuban food at the reception afterwards. (from Havana Mania and Porto's)
Loved the Cuban party.
Loved that the final words spoken on stage (by Chaz Mena) were: "Viva, Cuba Libre!"

Each of the five cast members is amazingly talented and I thought it was very cool that the young daughter was played by the lovely Katharine Luckinbill (granddaughter of Cuban royalty, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, daughter of Lucie Arnaz).

My Amy Kikita was loving the music at the reception afterwards....

A totally fun Cuban play about a totally fun Cuban family.
They might as well have called it My Big, Fat, Cuban Family.... but, oh wait....