Disenchanted Love

Picture a beautiful town called Mira Flores, almost engulfed in the thick green landscape of Puerto Rico. Jose Rivera’s latest work Boleros for the Disenchanted, which starts previews on April 25 at the Yale Repertory Theater, opens in that picturesque locale, as young Flora discovers her fiancé Manuelo has been cheating on her. From there, Rivera winds a path all the way to Daleville, Alabama with Flora and her long-time husband Eusebio.

“The idea of Boleros is to examine a long-term relationship and how the love you feel for somebody is severely tested when life throws obstacles and tragedies in your way,” says the playwright. “I literally thought about this play for 10 years, wondered about it, and daydreamed about it — but I didn’t write a word until last year. Almost all of my work is inspired by something deeply personal, coupled with the larger social and political forces around me. Writing about Puerto Rico was liberating because I was born in Puerto Rico but I left the island when I was four years old.”

Henry Godinez — who will direct Boleros — has played the role of actor and director in several of Rivera’s pieces, and the two share an affinity. “It’s been really fruitful working with Henry,” says Rivera. “He is extremely collaborative and open, and he really wants to serve this play.”