REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES Reviews

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 7:56pm

Final review thread of the 2024-25 Broadway season, and a 9:30pm embargo lift. 

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 8:36pm

This may be the only show this season whose reception I'm truly invested in, and I hope it gets positive notices. I'm worried it will be too traditional compared to flashier and artsier options this season, and may be considered too predictable, as some complained in the previews thread. But looking back, this was the show that did the best job (and may be the only one to do so) of creating truly human characters who I actually cared about and whose stories I was invested in. That, along with numerous other reasons, make it worthy of a lot of love.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 8:52pm

The Wrap's typically negative Hofler...is positive.

‘Real Women Have Curves’ Broadway Review: Latinas Take Cover to Break Free

A timely, feel-good musical brings the 2024-25 theater season to a rousing finish

https://www.thewrap.com/real-women-have-curves-broadway-review-latinas-take-cover-to-break-free/

 

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 9:31pm

Laura Collins-Hughes is the critic for NYT. Not a Critic's Pick

THEATER

‘Real Women Have Curves’ Review: This American (Immigrant) Life

On Broadway, the musical adaptation is a bouncy crowd pleaser about female empowerment, self-acceptance and chasing one’s dreams.

"In the first act, the braiding of plot strands is smooth, with comedy (some charming, some cheesy) gracefully coexisting with gut-gripping drama. But after a bleak start to Act II, the show opts for upbeat the rest of the way. On the one hand, that means some fun musical numbers, as when the women at the factory strip down to their undies, and deliver rap solos, during the body-positive title song. On the other, substance yields to banalities, leaving the show feeling somewhat empty.

What buoys it is an extremely likable cast, riding the waves of a hummable score that sounds variously of Mexico, Broadway and American pop. (The music director is Roberto Sinha.) And it doesn’t hurt that the show has a luscious color palette, or that its version of a disco ball is shaped like a dressmaker’s mannequin. (The set is by Arnulfo Maldonado, lighting by Natasha Katz, video by Hana S. Kim and costumes by Wilberth Gonzalez and Paloma Young.)"

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 9:31pm

NY Stage Review

REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES: LATINA STORIES TAKE CENTER STAGE  

By Melissa Rose Bernardo

★★★★☆ Josefina López’s decades-old play turned movie turned musical resonates with audiences anew

https://nystagereview.com/2025/04/27/real-women-have-curves-latina-stories-take-center-stage/

 

REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES: PLUS-SIZE CROWD PLEASER HITS HOME

By Roma Torre

★★★★★ Based on the Latin-themed play and film, the new musical hits all the right notes delivering a weighty message about immigration in America.

https://nystagereview.com/2025/04/27/real-women-have-curves-plus-size-crowd-pleaser-hits-home/

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 9:32pm

Theatermania

Review: Real Women Have Curves Is the Realest Musical on Broadway Right Now

This new adaptation of Josefina López’s play and film is running at the James Earl Jones Theatre.

https://www.theatermania.com/news/review-real-women-have-curves-is-the-realest-musical-on-broadway-right-now_1774090/

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 9:32pm

Daily Beast

‘Real Women Have Curves’ Fires Up a Huge Musical Showstopper

STANDING OVATION

The radical musical “Real Women Have Curves” juggles laughs and politics—with a standout number that stops the show.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/review-real-women-have-curves-fires-up-a-huge-musical-showstopper/

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 9:33pm

Deadline is mixed (to negative?)

‘Real Women Have Curves’ But The Musical Is Thin – Broadway Review

https://deadline.com/2025/04/real-women-have-curves-broadway-review-1236378219/

"If the book (Lisa Loomer with Nell Benjamin) only occasionally rises above earnestness, and the mariachi-meets-musical theater songs by Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez are pleasant enough in the moment, Real Women finds its true strength in its cast (fine singers all, and well-directed and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo). Machado as mother Carmen (and who is known to TV viewers for the rebooted One Day At A Time), is very good at both comic zingers and cutting put-downs, and she’s even better in dramatic moments when she lets long-simmering resentments burst open."

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 9:35pm

Variety

‘Real Women Have Curves’ Review: Broadway Musical Celebrates a Vibrant Community of Women With Joy and Heart

This appealing, tuneful and politically potent new musical has songs co-written by Grammy winner Joy Huerta and features Justina Machado in the cast.

https://variety.com/2025/legit/reviews/real-women-have-curves-review-broadway-musical-1236378571/

 

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 9:35pm

REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES: A Charming New Musical — Review

https://www.theatrely.com/post/real-women-have-curves-a-charming-new-musical-review

"Cordoba, with her sweet, expressive face, is the kind of ingenue who’s easy to root for, and builds easy rapport with her family, chosen and biological. The musical trusts her to deliver, and she more than heartily rises to that challenge. Thankfully, despite some tonal flaws, so do these women. "

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 9:37pm

Chicago Tribune

Review: ‘Real Women Have Curves: The Musical’ gets a feel-good Broadway bow

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/04/27/review-real-women-have-curves-the-musical-on-broadway/

"This show, which has a genial, populist score of entertaining and empowering numbers, is not really about that plot anyway.  Everyone who has ever seen a musical knows where it is going. It’s more about the collective journey, the chance to celebrate oft-overlooked garment workers who know of skill and artistry and to enjoy actors with panache (Aline Mayagoitia, a very notable talent, is notably moving as a Guatemalan refugee). Most of the company is celebrating a Broadway debut and the audience is primed to enjoy their triumph, fictionally and formatively.

Trujillo, an old pro, understands his material and his lively choreography is both created for the bonafide dancers in the cast and designed to make everyone else look and feel good. So they do."

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 9:38pm

Washington Post

A musical comedy about immigrants when we need one most

“Real Women Have Curves,” a new Broadway show based in part on the film, is a funny and heartfelt portrait of striving against the odds.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater/2025/04/27/real-women-have-curves-broadway-musical/

"It’s a laugh-out-loud musical comedy with a massive dose of heart.

If that combination sounds unlikely, the creators pull off an impressive balancing act in relishing joy and humor amid striving and strife."

[Kad]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 9:38pm

Nice to see the season end on double-header high note with this and Dead Outlaw!

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 9:39pm

A- from Entertainment Weekly

Real Women Have Curves review: The beloved movie gets bolder and brighter as a crowd-pleasing Broadway musical

Like America Ferrera before her, Tatianna Córdoba shines in a the star-making role of Ana García.

https://ew.com/real-women-have-curves-review-musical-broadway-11722804

"The production, which opened at the James Earl Jones Theater on Sunday, boasts a heartfelt and riotous book by Lisa Loomer and Nell Benjamin, and delightful music from Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez. It plays incredibly well to a crowd: The jokes are constant and the warmth palpable. It's a true communal experience, which is no surprise given the amount of heart this show brings to the table. "

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 9:41pm

Holden in Vulture is positive, and as always, well-written

Bright and Bold in Undocumented L.A.: Real Women Have Curves

https://www.vulture.com/article/theater-review-real-women-have-curves-broadway-musical.html

"Amidst such a torrent of fascist chaos, the brightness and backbone of Real Women Have Curves feel bracing. Directed and choreographed with plenty of energy by Sergio Trujillo, this is a musical that does what it sets out to do and, by weight of circumstance, then some. It’s got plenty of bubbly, cheeky joy and big-dreaming sincerity, but it pulls back before crossing the line into either treacle or fluff. Its politics, while robust, are inherent — they resonate because we witness them playing out with terrible urgency in the lives of its characters and in the world around us, not because they’re a flag being awkwardly fluttered by the creators for the sake of their own egos. There’s also an emotional maturity to the arc of Loomer and Benjamin’s book (Josefina López wrote the original play): Shock and revelation are less drivers of its plot than daily work — both the kind that’s done to pay the rent and the effort it takes, through deep frustration and the crossed wires of generations and cultures, to stay caring, keep listening, and to remain bravely open to change."

 

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 9:46pm

4 stars, Recommended by Feldman from TimeOut

https://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/real-women-have-curves-the-musical-broadway-review

"Sure, the show’s style is unapologetically expansive. But this is Broadway, where a broad broad can be broad. Lisa Loomer’s well-crafted script, written with Nell Benjamin and peppered with Spanglish, doesn’t try for innovative plot twists. Its focus is on delivering a familiar story in a satisfying way, and it succeeds by providing opportunities for its vivid cast to shine. Machado, who starred in the 2017 reboot of One Day at a Time, is especially wonderful, displaying a masterful command of audience dynamics. But all of the women in Estela’s factory—Aline Mayagoitia, Florencia Cuenca, Shelby Acosta, Carla Jimenez, Jennifer Sánchez and Sandra Valls—have endearing moments. And the accomplished score, by Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez, mixes musical theater and pop with appealing Mexican accents; its highlights include two comedic showpieces, “If I Were a Bird” and “Adios, Andrés,” feel original and fresh. 

In a time when immigrants are being actively dehumanized throughout the United States, Real Women Have Curves provides a vital counterpoint—partly by depicting the dreams and fears of immigrant workers in specific terms, but mostly just by being lovable. This show is a bona fide crowd pleaser: a warm hug that pulls you into its generous bosom. With a little luck, it could turn out to be a sleeper hit. Go now and get ahead of the curve."

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 9:46pm

Man, what a fantastic Broadway musical season this turned out to be.

We’re not likely to see this much praise (and so few clunkers) again for quite some time. 

Now bring on the rest of the cast albums!

 

Updated On: 4/27/25 at 09:46 PM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 9:48pm

Wow!

[matty159]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 9:58pm

dramamama611 said: "Wow!"

And a great WOW!  I saw it last Wednesday after seeing the second preview.  The nips and tucks were clear.  I saw a much better show that is fun, poignant, and filled with life. So happy for the positive notices.  It deserves it.  Let those women have curves MAKE IT WORK!

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 10:02pm

Wonderful reviews. What a joyous show. 

[Wick3]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 10:06pm

Overall positive reviews despite not getting the NYT critic’s pick. Really hoping this show does better in the box office.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 10:13pm

MemorableUserName said: "I'm worried it will be too traditional compared to flashier and artsier options this season, and may be consideredtoo predictable, as some complained in the previews thread."

I'm sure the REAL WOMEN producers don't love opening on the heels of BVSC, another Latin American-focused title that comes with a lot more notoriety & better reviews. Not that that's the ONLY audience they want, of course. But they definitely want that audience and the grosses indicate they haven't been getting it.

[THDavis]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 10:23pm

So exciting! And wonderful that even the four-star reviews comment on the show winning overall even when the material has some weaknesses. I hope this show does well and sales pick up. 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 10:35pm

DTLI Consensus: Grounded in realism, it's the young and talented cast (and hummable score) that truly makes this heartwarming surprise of a musical work. 

13 positive (including the NYT), 2 mixed.

https://didtheylikeit.com/shows/real-women-have-curves/

[hayden6]

Posted: 4/27/25 at 10:44pm

The energy in the theatre tonight was electric! There was so much love for this cast and crew & they really earned the mid-show standing ovation after the title number.

I did notice some tightening in the book after having seen it during previews. I love everything they’re doing — the cast, the score, the costumes, the lighting, the sets are all beautiful! I’m already looking forward to seeing it again.