There’s plenty of drama in the new musical Real Women Have Curves, which centers on Latina seamstresses in a struggling East Los Angeles dress factory. But this buoyant, crowd-pleasing show gets its heart from a mother and daughter whose ambitions clash but whose love for each other is never in doubt. Broadway newcomer Tatianna Córdoba stars as Ana, a self-possessed high school senior who longs to attend college in New York City. Film and TV favorite Justina Machado plays Carmen, the matriarch who sees no reason for her youngest child to leave home. Together, this vivacious pair leads a mostly female company in celebrating the power of working women.
“There are so many layers to mother-daughter relationships,” observes Córdoba, chatting with Broadway.com alongside Machado before rehearsal, “and the layer of Latina immigrant mother versus first-generation daughter comes with issues. They have different versions of understanding the world, something we explore in the show.” Nodding, Machado says, “There’s a lot of love in Carmen, and a lot of fear of the unknown. She wants to keep her daughters close because it’s her safety net, and she’s afraid for them. I find the storytelling really authentic.”
(Photo by Emilio Madrid for Broadway.com)
Machado brings a unique perspective to Real Women Have Curves because she played Ana back in 1993, in a Chicago production of Josefina López’s semi-autobiographical play. (America Ferrera took on the role in a 2002 HBO film adaptation.) Around the same time, Machado decamped to New York, a move her own mother strongly resisted. “My parents migrated from Puerto Rico to Chicago in the mid-’50s, and I’m the first-born daughter, so they were not supportive,” she says now, adding that her mom couldn’t fathom why Justina would give up a $9-an-hour job at a bank to pursue acting. (Her subsequent success in dozens of films and TV projects ultimately won her family’s approval.)
Three decades later, Córdoba, whose parents who are of Costa Rican and Filipino descent, had an easier time on the road to a B.F.A. in musical theater from Boston Conservatory at Berklee College of Music. She laughingly recalls announcing—at age four—her plan to move to New York from the Bay Area of California. “My parents were very supportive,” she says, though they added one caveat: “My dad instilled in us that if you’re going to do something, go into it 100 percent and work your hardest.” Now, at age 25, she’s making her Broadway debut, singing songs by Joy Huerta (of the Grammy-winning duo Jesse & Joy) and Benjamin Velez, and dancing to the choreography of Tony-winning director Sergio Trujillo.
“Joy and Benjamin have done a beautiful job marrying musical theater, pop and Latin music,” Córdoba says, “and introducing Latin music to the theater world in such a cool way. Everyone is going to love it.” Adds Machado, “My character’s songs are a bit more standard because she’s old-school, but you get all different kinds of music, which makes it exciting.”
“It’s not just about acting…but about being a proud Latina woman standing in your power and not apologizing for who you are.“
–Tatianna Córdoba
Set in 1987, Real Women Have Curves remains timely in its depiction of financial challenges, green-card worries and body image stereotypes. “All the topics in our musical, whether it’s women’s bodies, women’s rights, bodily autonomy or immigration are as relevant as they’ve ever been,” Córdoba says. As in the play and movie, a high point in the show comes when Ana impulsively removes her outer clothing to feel more comfortable in the stiflingly hot factory, and the other women follow suit.
“It’s a very celebratory moment,” says Machado, who was amazed at the audience’s enthusiastic response during the show’s pre-Broadway run in Boston. “I would look out and see women dancing and cheering and holding up their drinks,” she recalls with a laugh. “I had to get past my own insecurities [about the scene], because you’re baring yourself in front of a lot of people, but it’s a joyous moment of power—for me and for the audience. It’s an important piece for the show.”
The co-stars developed a strong bond in the rehearsal room. Asked what she’s learned from Machado, a SAG Award winner whose credits range from Six Feet Under and One Day at a Time to the new Netflix medical drama Pulse, Córdoba becomes emotional. “I’m very, very lucky to be working alongside strong Latina women like Justina in my first show,” she says. “I have a notebook dedicated to what I’m learning from these women, and I write in it every night. It’s not just about acting, because being with Justina is a master class, but about being a proud Latina woman standing in your power and not apologizing for who you are. Justina has given me a level of confidence I didn’t know I could develop so early.”
Touched by Córdoba’s words, Machado responds, “Justina is so smart and charming but also so put-together. There are things I wish I could have known at her age—she’s professional and grounded and doesn’t take things personally, which is a really big deal in this business. She just keeps growing, and if she’s like this at 25, I can’t imagine what she will be like in a few years. I’m witnessing the beginning of a great career.”
Savoring her Broadway debut, Córdoba looks forward to sharing messages of positivity and acceptance with young women in the audience. “Our show has so much heart,” she says, “and the relationships between the women is something that comes naturally and feels authentic.” Surveying the current roster of Broadway musicals featuring women of color, she says, “It’s powerful to be part of that—this is the season we’ve all been waiting for.”
