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81st out of 116 books
—
46 voters
Anna in the Tropics
by
Nilo Cruz
Winner of the 2003 Pulitizer Prize for Drama
. . . there are many kinds of light.
The light of fires. The light of stars.
The light that reflects off rivers.
Light that penetrates through cracks.
Then there’s the type of light that reflects off the skin.
—Nilo Cruz, Anna in the Tropics
This lush romantic drama depicts a family of cigar makers whose loves and lives are played out...more
. . . there are many kinds of light.
The light of fires. The light of stars.
The light that reflects off rivers.
Light that penetrates through cracks.
Then there’s the type of light that reflects off the skin.
—Nilo Cruz, Anna in the Tropics
This lush romantic drama depicts a family of cigar makers whose loves and lives are played out...more
Paperback, 112 pages
Published
September 1st 2003
by Theatre Communications Group
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Nov 07, 2012
Bethanie
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone who loves the story of "Anna Karenina"
Shelves:
textbooks
Let's just say it right now: I LOVE "Anna Karenina." It took me two weeks to read, but it was fantastic and I still consider it one of my favorite books.
Now for this little play.
I had to read it for a literature class, so my mind naturally goes to, "If you stand on your head and look at this aspect, how can it be interpreted?" The highlight of the book, as we discussed in class, was the effect of literature on both Anna in Tolstoy's novel and the characters in the play. Each felt some deep-down...more
Now for this little play.
I had to read it for a literature class, so my mind naturally goes to, "If you stand on your head and look at this aspect, how can it be interpreted?" The highlight of the book, as we discussed in class, was the effect of literature on both Anna in Tolstoy's novel and the characters in the play. Each felt some deep-down...more
Nilo Cruz, Anna in the Tropics (Theatre Communications Group, 2002)
I've been trying, on and off, to review this for almost three months now, and I haven't been able to get anything to stick. My original idea was to write something about what a fine period piece it is, but it kept ringing hollow, since I'm not old enough to have been around during the period in question. It feels right, but if I've learned anything in forty years, it's not to trust my sense of nostalgia for things that occurred b...more
I've been trying, on and off, to review this for almost three months now, and I haven't been able to get anything to stick. My original idea was to write something about what a fine period piece it is, but it kept ringing hollow, since I'm not old enough to have been around during the period in question. It feels right, but if I've learned anything in forty years, it's not to trust my sense of nostalgia for things that occurred b...more
A beautiful script, which I have not yet had the pleasure of seeing staged. One gets that feeling that for Anna In The Tropics, as for Cruz' later work Lorca In A Green Dress, visuals, sound, and general ambience are as necessary to the storytelling as the dialogue. The text of the script provides a sound but naked framework for what should be a colorful, rhythmic, and sensual play, leaving open the possibility for a wide range of artistic interpretation.
For someone who knows how universal Tols...more
For someone who knows how universal Tols...more
I have both read and performed in an ensemble production of this moving script about a family who is struggling to maintain a cigar factory in Ybor City as new rolling machines threaten to replace the tradition of hand-rolling. The plot is brilliantly set against the tragedy of "Anna Karenina". The characters are both believable and colorful.
This is a gripping drama about a family in a cigar factory. When a new lector reads Anna Karenina to the factory workers, the people's lives begin to parallel those of the characters in that famous novel. I enjoyed how Cruz structures this play and the complex characters he creates. It's a good read; I read it in under two hours.
I first read this almost a decade ago and enjoyed it, but then saw a terrible production that I have been unable to forget. In passing, I mentioned to a friend that I enjoyed the play but hated the production. So I decided to revisit it and was pleased to discover I enjoyed it as much this time as before.
Mar 31, 2011
Fklicata
added it
I felt the ending was weak. There were a few unresolved questions surrounding Marela's behavior in the final scenes, and Juan Julian's character is hard to assess. The setting was nice, as a descendent of Italian Ybor cigar rollers I enjoyed the nod to our local history.
Disappointingly little was done with a premise that seemed not only wholly original but also full of promise. The Pulitzer may have been mis-awarded in this case, or else American drama is simply a weak field.
Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. The emotions that Cruz is able to make me feel in the span of sixty pages goes to show what one can do with the spoken word. I want to see this play so terribly bad now.
Beautiful! I wanted a little more from the ending, however. I'm not sure what, but I felt it ended too quickly. Maybe I would feel differently if I was seeing it done rather than reading it.
You know what makes a play great to me?
NOT having 22-year-old main characters pee themselves for no obvious reason other than excitement.
"I couldn't hold it in!"
NOT having 22-year-old main characters pee themselves for no obvious reason other than excitement.
"I couldn't hold it in!"
This is a play but provides such an interesting peak into the culture in Cuba among the cigar rollers...the Anna in the title is Anna Karenina...
Lectors in cigar factories. About the passing of a whole tradition. Lots of parallels with Anna Karenina.
I didn't like it. I thought the story was weak and the character development non-existant. I wasn't engaged with the characters, therefore i didn't care what happened to them.
The resolution between Santiago and Cheche was dumb - he got a loan, and that was it? Did Cheche rape Marela? What happened to Cheche after murdering Juan Julian?
I was disappointed, as I expected a Pulitzer Prize winning play to be much better. I've read and seen much better plays by Cuban play-wrights, IMO, much more dese...more
The resolution between Santiago and Cheche was dumb - he got a loan, and that was it? Did Cheche rape Marela? What happened to Cheche after murdering Juan Julian?
I was disappointed, as I expected a Pulitzer Prize winning play to be much better. I've read and seen much better plays by Cuban play-wrights, IMO, much more dese...more
Quick easy read but lacked depth and I was disappointed in the ending.
Set in 1929 in a Cuban-American cigar factory, a new lector arrives to read Anna Karenina to the workers. His arrival touches off a debate of the old versus the new as the struggling cigar factory looks for new ways to keep the old ways alive. The passions and longings of the employees come to life under the words of Tolstoy.
A beautifully written play. Poetic and intriguing. However, in a reading there were many more questions asked than answered, and I wonder if a production would help smooth t...more
A beautifully written play. Poetic and intriguing. However, in a reading there were many more questions asked than answered, and I wonder if a production would help smooth t...more
Beautiful story!
2003 Pulitzer
Not bad. I find the whole idea fascinating, even though the romance parts seem a little forced and cliche. I'm wondering if anyone on the Pulitzer committee ever thinks "Dude this is totally trying to please us. Obscure history, plight of ethnic folk. This is totally baiting us." Probably not. Anna in the Tropics doesn't suck, but Take Me Out should have won instead that year.
Read this for a college class. It was ok, I guess. Not too keen on reading plays. I'm gonna have to wait for my professor to tell me why it was a good.
QUick read but very good...story about Cuban cigar makers in Tampa who are inspired (for romance, mischief, drama etc) by lectores (readers) who read to them while they roll cigars--
Beautiful writing, framed around an absolutely fascinating historical arrangement between workers and management of cigar factories.
Such a GREAT story! Things come around in a wonderfully heartwarming way. Good parallels to Tolstoy
May 31, 2007
amanda jane
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
cultural enrichment seekers
Shelves:
plays
making the connection between cuban cigar rollers and anna karenina...awesome.
Mar 17, 2012
Heidi
added it
I really need to read Anna Karenina now.
This was a lovely, quick read.
Spanish translation.
not bad, not terrific either
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