Anna in the Tropics

Winner of the 2003 Pulitzer Prize, Anna in the Tropics is a lush, poetic drama by the author of Beauty of the Father and Lorca in a Green Dress, among others. Directed by Sharon Ott, Cruz’s romantic drama is set in a Florida cigar factory in the 1920s where cigar makers struggle to preserve their tradition in the face of impending modernity and mechanization. Into this evocative setting comes a man known as a “lector,” who reads aloud in the custom of his time. His chosen book is MU and the emotions unleashed as the story is read changes the destiny of everyone who listens. Playwright Nilo Cruz subtly interweaves the two stories until they echo one another in a heady mix of love and betrayal.