Simply Maria, or, The American dream: A one-act play

by Josefina López

Full Length play / This wildly funny play tells the story of Maria, a young, precocious Latina aspiring to be an actor, and her dream of going to college. The story begins in Mexico with Maria's parents eloping. Maria is born, and shortly after they leave for the U.S. her father, Ricardo, tells Maria that in America, with an education, she can have the American dream. Maria believes him and studies hard. However, when she tells her parents she wants to go to college, they order her to get married instead. Maria is so upset she cries herself to sleep and has a nightmare in which her American self and her Mexican self wrestle with each other. She gets married and gives birth to six babies. Her wedding dress attacks her and a giant tortilla squashes her. Maria is awakened by her mother's crying and overhears her confronting Ricardo about his affairs. Maria is shocked by the news and realizes she has to go to college in order to be economically independent of men and have the life that she wants, one that combines the best of her two worlds. (Cast 4m., 6w.)

Genres: Plays, Theatre

51 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

From Wikipedia: López was born in 1969, in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, and at age five emigrated with her family to the United States, where they settled in Los Angeles, California. She graduated from the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts before obtaining a BA in film and screenwriting from Columbia College Chicago, and an MFA in screenwriting from the School of Theater, Film and Television at UCLA.

Lopez was undocumented for 13 years before she received Amnesty in 1987 and eventually became a U.S. Citizen in 1995. Lopez is the recipient of a number of other awards and accolades, including a formal recognition from U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer's 7th Annual "Women Making History" banquet in 1998; and a screenwriting fellowship from the California Arts Council in 2001. She and Real Women Have Curves co-author George LaVoo won the Humanitas Prize for Screenwriting in 2002, The Gabriel Garcia Marquez Award from Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn in 2003, and the Artist-in-Residency grant from the National Endowment for the Arts/Theatre Communications Group for 2007.

Reviews

[hazel tugbiyele · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was like what the Victory Project would have been if it was run by a bunch of Mexican immigrants instead of saltine-lookin white men. Don't get me wrong, these men sucked ass, but at least they were...ethnic? (too soon, too soon. sorry y'all)

This play follows María, the daughter of two traditional Mexican parents who immigrate to the US in search of a better life. That's about the only complete sentence you're gonna get. BECAUSE THIS PLAY. Y'ALL. Y'ALL. HAD ME TWEAKIN. BUT LEMME CALM DOWN. María's dad is basically the POSTER child for the patriarchy, okay? But if you think that's bad, think 1950s and think HEAVY machismo. The Latinas know what I'm talking about. ANYWAY. María's dad iswasconstantly forcing her to do housework, belittling her for her dreams to pursue higher academia, and talking about how he loves her so much, thats why he's doing this, taking away her freedoms, silencing her voice, etc. etc. SICK MAN. María's mom was not any better lmao. She would literally lurk in María's mom and discourage her from doing...uh...stuff (not to get into the details but what María was doing was PRIVATE and her mom was weird af for just STANDING there anyways), interrupting her while she studied so she could clean, cook, do laundry. Her parents were so awful I could NOT.

Anyway, María, nuestra niña inteligente, gets a full-ride (jealous much?) and is so excited to show her parents. But unfortunately they are RATS and were like "eww an education? dude ur only job is like to get married and pump out babies lmao, what would you need an education for?"

No more spoilers. You'll have to find out what happens next. (Hint: it involved a Wanda-Vision-esque sitcom and a giant tortilla [bold choice. thats what happens when you take the most expressive ethnicity on the planet and violently beat them with the theater bug until they catch it])

[Aida Rot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, for a Chican@ Literature and one of my favourite plays ever. I really love how the play is supposed to be represented, yet the text itself is a bit confusing and not really entertaining. I would recommend anyone to watch this play (the Author has other plays and films, so if you can't go and see Simply Maria there are other options). Really, an experience. (3.6)

[Inés ramirez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hate reading plays, I liked this one.

[Lamica Noor · Rating 5 out of 5]

The play is set around three main characters and Lopez's portrayed each character's role and expectations very well. I really appreciated the amount of detail Lopez used to really showcase what it is like growing up in a traditional Hispanic home. I also appreciated the beautiful detail in the character of Maria, the daughter in the play. This play was written to bring awareness to those unfamiliar with Hispanic culture and the gender role norms and expectations. Lopez also wrote the play in English with non-tradition Spanish (Non-classroom Spanish), which was very beautiful.

Lopez really tackles Mexican cultural home structure, society expectations, culture ideologies, and gender role conflicts. Lopez’s play is centered on a young girl named Maria, who is the daughter of Ricardo and Carmen. Ricardo and Carmen are the stories climax-masterpiece and the necessary voices that paint the picture of a Mexican home life and the traditional role of the woman, the myth.

Lopez challenges reader's to be open-minded about Hispanic heritage-the traditional roles the woman must become: find a husband, get married, have children, don't talk back to your husband, serve your husband at all times, and be a good little quite wife. Lopez also tackles being Hispanic in the so-called American Dream-the cultural struggles and differences...meaning that America is the land of the free, just as long as a person loses any trace of their natural mother-tongue and culture. This play also brings to life children whose parents where born in the traditional Hispanic ways living in America; as well as the struggle one faces to not loose sight of their heritage and the fear parents face with not allowing their children to become Westernlized.


Lopez wrote her play from the heart through personal experience, which gives the play authenticity. Lopez wrote her play when she was 17 years old back in 1996, which was originally over 100 pages. Lopez used her anger and frustration to empower the new generation of Chicanas that the sky is the limit, as well as inspire the next generation that your heritage will always be a part of who you are-not to shun from it, but embrace it and make it your own. Kudos to Lopez and her journey.

[Shanae · Rating 2 out of 5]

Simply Maria, Or, the American Dream seems like it was supposed to be an enlightening play about the troubles many Mexican girls feel when they are torn between two words: one traditional Mexican and the other modern American. The protagonist of the play, Maria, endures the pain of living in two worlds and emerges a Mexican American - able to balance both worlds and be successful in both. I do not know much about Latino life or the expectations of a traditional Mexican family on the lives of its daughters, but the play presents such extremes that it is hard to like the play or sympathize with the characters. I only somewhat sympathize with Maria's struggles, I do not feel bad for Carmen, and I do not understand Ricardo or Jose - male characters who struggle with tribulations, too. The male characters are terrible and Lopez provides no explanation as to why. Nonetheless, the play does grapple with issues of feminism, traditionalism, modernism, and desire...heavy themes that could be very interesting when applied in the right circumstances. The play could have been longer and probably more effective in explicating these themes. I do not believe that reading Simply Maria could improve one's knowledge of the young Mexican woman's plight, therefore, I do not recommend this book.

[Pmuncy]

negative stars - As a Catholic, I think the message this play sends is outrageous and sacriligeous.

[Ryan Madman Reads & Rocks · Rating 5 out of 5]

An accurate and truthful depiction of closedmindedness within the family unit.
My complete review is at:
https://youtu.be/KwgkbRKTHqI