Real Women Have Curves, The Musical
When I was 14, Real Women Have Curves, a book by Josefina López adapted into an HBO film, shattered the illusion that acting was a career reserved only for skinny women. It tore down any notion I had that only girls with slim figures belonged on screen. The movie is a charming narrative about a young, intelligent, and resounding teenager navigating the challenges of family traditions, poor conditions, and big dreams for the future. That story is now reimagined on stage in a fresh and compelling way through a musical adaptation.
The book is set in 1987, the summer before Ana is supposed to head to college and at the same time, her family, particularly her mother, is at a crossroads. Ana’s family has to make a choice, whether they want to be a part of influencing the future of a young woman or clip her wings, allowing their circumstances to dictate her future.
The show opens with a glimpse into life as a Mexican family in East Los Angeles. Ana's mother, played by Justina Machado, owns a factory where friends and family sew custom dresses for their local clients. Her older sister, Estela (Florencia Cuenca), is a fashion designer trying to keep the business afloat. Ana, portrayed by Tatiana Cordoba in her first Broadway performance, is a Mexican-American teenager with a journalism internship, a promising love interest and an acceptance to Columbia University that her family doesn't know about.
Most of the action on the RWHC stage happens in the clothing factory, which is also the most visually appealing part of the set design. Designed by Arnulfo Maldonado, the stage features detailed sewing stations in a room full of costumes, colors and fabrics. The rest of the play is scattered between a porch, a rooftop, and even a detention center.
While the plot is extremely close to the play/film format, the real surprise is its emphasis on immigration, which the film didn't initially have. This feels especially timely when Broadway continues to revive stories often steeped in racist, minstrel, or otherwise outdated narratives. In contrast, this production feels urgent and long overdue in 2025.
Still, I wondered: when these themes are wrapped in upbeat musical numbers, is it a good idea to make the story more accessible to people by reworking our pain into a palatable version for Broadway? At first, it genuinely felt like the show softened the blow of a real, ongoing crisis just to fit the mold of a feel-good musical. As someone who’s extremely sensitive to how these stories are told, I couldn’t help but question whether audiences should be made more susceptible, and even obligated, to confront this reality in a serious way. But then I reminded myself that humor is a survival tool for many people living through this reality. Laughing to keep from crying is a coping mechanism that many Black and brown cultures have to cling to, to keep their sanity, so the musical may be hitting exactly the right note.
Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez wrote an excellent score and light-hearted, colorful, and sincere lyrics. The title number is also a climax of self-acceptance and body positivity because the women discard the norms imposed by society and accept their natural shapes. This gives us one of the strongest scenes of the show, mixing irony, feelings, and rebellion.
The score is also marked by the inspiring and very passionate Ana solo entitled Flying Away, a journey of her displacement and longing to leave the comfort of her old life behind to move on to bigger things; the lively community song entitled Make It, which gives the factory a musical-hall feel; and the thoughtful ballad entitled Siempre Mi Gente, a hymn to community, culture, and heritage.
RWHC is a humorous and heartwarming reminder about the importance of having diverse stories on Broadway. Although the play leaves one wondering how we package serious storytelling to be attractive and palatable to mass audiences, it is an infectious, feel-good playtime in the theater.
(Real Women Have Curves: The Musical has received critical acclaim and is nominated for two Tony Awards this year - one for Best Original Score (Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez) and Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical, Justina Machado)
Tickets available through Broadway.com and TodayTix. Merchandise can be found at the Playbill Store. For more information, visit the official website: realwomenhavecurvesbroadway.com
