REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES Reviews- Page 4

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 5/5/25 at 9:17am

Sutton Ross said: "Why is it 'weird'? When stars of the movies that musicals are adapted from visit the show, there are stories all the time about it. (Goldie/Death Becomes Her being the most recent example and I'm sure there's been talk of when Meryl will visit.) And it was Ferrera's breakout role so no, I don't think it's weird to ask if she's been there to see it yet.

I said "kinda weird". It was 23 years ago, she has zero obligation to those involved, and she's working. So yep, kinda weird. This film is marketed towards women of all shapes, sizes, and colors which their commercials and merch reflect.It's a beautiful thing but no one is under any obligation to promote or attend based on their past.

Oh, and anyone who is stupid enough to comment that my perfectly understandable words are "non sensical"should take a class. Like any class. Perhaps they'll learn the words "a lot" are two separate ones. Kisses."

It actually is non-sensical to say it’d be weird the star of the film would come to see it when may film stars have gone to see the musical based on their film….. but hey, as usual, you’re the queen of the castle here and everyone must bow down

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 5/5/25 at 9:40am

MemorableUserName said: "I wasn't commenting on the timing, merely the idea of whether it's normal to expect an actor from a film to attend at all."

which happens all the time, and of which there are myriad examples. its perfectly commonplace and there is no doubt Ferrara was invited to see it amongst the various other celebrities that have been pushing it on social media. 

[Kad]

Posted: 5/5/25 at 9:58am

This is a weird argument to have. Actors associated with productions- whether they were in previous incarnations of the material or simply are known to have relationships with people involved- are invited as part of standard PR practice and they often show up as their schedules permit. They don't always - Meryl Streep has yet to see DBH while Goldie Hawn and Isabella Rossellini both have, for instance- but the invites certainly go out. There's no requirement to for them to attend, it's at their discretion, but they certainly have little to lose but a few hours if they do so.

Considering the movie launched Ferrara's career and she has a background in theatre, it seems pretty likely she'll attend at some point. The production hasn't been running very long and we have no idea what her life has been like.

Updated On: 5/5/25 at 09:58 AM

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 5/5/25 at 10:00am

Almost as poorly sold as Tammy Faye towards the end of the run. Not quite as bad, but close. 

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 5/5/25 at 10:46am

Sutton Ross said: "Why is it 'weird'? When stars of the movies that musicals are adapted from visit the show, there are stories all the time about it. (Goldie/Death Becomes Her being the most recent example and I'm sure there's been talk of when Meryl will visit.) And it was Ferrera's breakout role so no, I don't think it's weird to ask if she's been there to see it yet.

I said "kinda weird". It was 23 years ago, she has zero obligation to those involved, and she's working. So yep, kinda weird. This film is marketed towards women of all shapes, sizes, and colors which their commercials and merch reflect.It's a beautiful thing but no one is under any obligation to promote or attend based on their past.

Oh, and anyone who is stupid enough to comment that my perfectly understandable words are "non sensical"should take a class. Like any class. Perhaps they'll learn the words "a lot" are two separate ones. Kisses."

America’s sweetheart and co producer of this show strikes again! Charming to the bitter end. 

[gibsons2]

Posted: 5/5/25 at 12:50pm

BorisTomashevsky said: "Almost as poorly sold as Tammy Faye towards the end of the run. Not quite as bad, butclose."

Serious question: read here that they are papering a lot. If so, what's the easiest way to obtain a ticket?

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 5/5/25 at 7:43pm

Matt Rogers said: "Sutton Ross said: "Why is it 'weird'? When stars of the movies that musicals are adapted from visit the show, there are stories all the time about it. (Goldie/Death Becomes Her being the most recent example and I'm sure there's been talk of when Meryl will visit.) And it was Ferrera's breakout role so no, I don't think it's weird to ask if she's been there to see it yet.

I said "kinda weird". It was 23 years ago, she has zero obligation to those involved, and she's working. So yep, kinda weird. This film is marketed towards women of all shapes, sizes, and colors which their commercials and merch reflect.It's a beautiful thing but no one is under any obligation to promote or attend based on their past.

Oh, and anyone who is stupid enough to comment that my perfectly understandable words are "non sensical"should take a class. Like any class. Perhaps they'll learn the words "a lot" are two separate ones. Kisses."

America’s sweetheart and co producer of this show strikes again! Charming to the bitter end."

Queen of the Double Down, Lord of the Grammatical Errors In Lieu of Cogent Argument. She will never change.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 5/5/25 at 7:54pm

the balcony is now closed off for future performances.

[Bette's Turban]

Posted: 5/5/25 at 8:35pm

So when they close off the balcony..those that get officially taken out of the potential capacity?

[quizking101]

Posted: 5/6/25 at 5:07pm

ACL2006 said: "the balcony is now closed off for future performances."

It is not. A cursory glance at a random date (I picked Sunday 5/11 and Thursday 5/22) shows the balcony is still open for sale. Empty, but open nonetheless.

One of the real stupid moves is putting the boxes on sale for almost $200 and they are marked partial view. 

Updated On: 5/6/25 at 05:07 PM

[1 Minute Critic]

Posted: 5/16/25 at 6:46pm

1 Minute Critic

Beyond the seams: ‘Real Women Have Curves’ stiches together the power of Latina sisterhood

Don’t be fooled by the jewel-toned designs or the vibrant Kahlo-esque video projections that help bring Broadway’s Real Women Have Curves to Life. Underneath the multisensory stimulation is a political and cultural firestorm. READ MORE


 

[THDavis]

Posted: 5/16/25 at 6:59pm

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Listen-Four-Songs-Release-From-REAL-WOMEN-HAVE-CURVES-Broadway-Cast-Album-20250516
 

Four of the tracks from the upcoming OBCR have been released! I’ve been listening to them on repeat. 
 

Love getting “Already Know You” - would love “If I Were a Bird” (although there’s a video of Aline singing it with Joy Huerta on YouTube).
 

I love hearing the story through the music more than the sneak peek offered, although I do like the seamless sound of the sneak peek “Make It Work” a bit more, but that’s just because it feels like it flows a bit better when it’s not directly from the context of the stage production. 

[MezzA101]

Posted: 5/27/25 at 11:38pm

I saw ‘Real Women Have Curves’ on Broadway. Here’s what you need to know

https://nypost.com/2025/05/27/ticket-sales/real-women-have-curves-on-broadway-where-to-buy-tickets-thoughts?

[THDavis]

Posted: 5/30/25 at 8:48am

I caught this show again last night (first time since opening) and it once again was an enjoyable night of theatre. Great, responsive audience (especially for a Thursday), standing ovation after the title number, and a lot of audience recognition for Tatianna Cordoba’s entrance, which sort of surprised me for a newcomer that wasn’t nominated for a Tony - I love it. 

One thing that stood out…

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

I remember reading that audiences didn’t like that Carmen doesn’t give Ana her blessing at the end. I don’t recall from my first viewings, but the final number definitely had a moment where Carmen dresses Ana in her gift and tells her to “fly”, which very much seems like a blessing.

That certainly goes against some of the earlier comments and concerns I read about the show. Does anyone know if this saw changes throughout previews or maybe from out of town?

 

[goldenboy]

Posted: 5/31/25 at 3:14pm

My group of five theatre friends caught five musicals last week. Call us the Theatre 5!

We all liked most of them but we all enjoyed Real Woman Have Curves the best because it had a lot of heart and dealt with the current immigration situation which is heartbreaking in itself.  It also had joyous music and there was a standing ovation in the middle of the show as well as the end of the show. 

I urge you to see it if you have not.

We also say Dead Outlaw (brilliantly done and staged), Maybe Happy Ending ( again brilliantly staged and most likely a Tony win for Darren Criss who was so likeable and the show it self) Smash ( we all love an old fashioned back stage musical and Robyn Hurder should have been nominated for best actress, and Boop which was my least favorite because as much as I love Betty Boop.. this musical seemed like a Why bother as  It had no reason to excist except to introduce us to the wonderful Jasmine Amy Rogers who hopefully will have a great musical theatre career in the Chita Rivera vein.

Don't miss Real Woman Have Curves. Moving,  Hummable and heartfelt. If you don't feel in theatre what is the point and Real Women makes you feel.

 

Should have been Nominated!!!  Best Muscial in terms of heart and music and performance. Not as ground breaking as Dead Outlaw or Maybe Happy Ending but more enjoyable. Don't miss it!

Updated On: 5/31/25 at 03:14 PM

[Jonathan Cohen]

Posted: 5/31/25 at 5:11pm

During the first half of Real Women Have Curves, I was also like "why wasn't this nominated for Best New Musical?" The second half of the show answered the question for me. 

It's an aggressively likable show, but for a story about treating illegal immigrants better and properly valuing their work, there are some strange story choices during the home stretch. This isn't the type of show you can spoil, but I'll use the spoiler box anyway. 

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

#1. The big emotional, empowering moment of the show involves the owners of a clothing factory pressuring the workers of the factory to strip down to their underwear, which several clearly do not want to do. To the show's credit, this got a standing ovation during the performance I saw. If this happened in the real world though, it's sexually harassing your workers, not empowering them. 

#2. Ana outsmarts the buyer and gets back a couple of days to finish the 200 dresses. The first thing she does is take off a couple of hours to have sex for the first time. Look, there are stranger ways to procrastinate but that's a lot to process when one task had a clear deadline, and Henry would be just as willing to have sex a couple of days later. 

#3. In the end, the workers give back their paychecks so the owners could reinvest it in the factory. For a story so focused on illegal immigrants being properly compensated, that the workers ended up still basically working for free is a bizarre ending. Is the lesson, it's important when working for free, that it be for nicer people?        

Updated On: 5/31/25 at 05:11 PM

[JSquared2]

Posted: 6/1/25 at 10:59am

Jonathan Cohen said: "During the first half of Real Women Have Curves, I was also like "why wasn't this nominated for Best New Musical?" The second half of the show answered the questionfor me.

It's an aggressively likable show, but for a story about treating illegal immigrants better and properly valuing their work, there are some strange story choices during the home stretch. This isn't the type of show you can spoil, but I'll use the spoiler box anyway.

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

#1. Thebig emotional, empowering moment of the show involves the owners of a clothing factory pressuring the workers of the factory to strip down totheir underwear, which several clearly do not want to do. To the show's credit, this got a standing ovation during the performance I saw. If this happened in the real world though, it's sexually harassing your workers, not empowering them.

#2. Ana outsmarts the buyer and gets back a couple of days to finish the 200 dresses. The first thing she does is take off a couple of hours to have sex for the first time. Look, there are stranger ways to procrastinate but that's a lot to process when one task had a clear deadline, and Henry would be just as willing to have sex a couple of days later.

#3. In the end, the workers give back their paychecks so the owners could reinvest it in the factory. For a story so focused on illegal immigrants being properly compensated, that the workers ended up still basically working for free is a bizarre ending. Is the lesson, it's important when working for free, that it be for nicer people?

"

I get what you're saying in the Spoilers -- but (respectfully) I think you're a bit off base there.  Without giving things away, in #1, no one is in any way being "forced" or "pressured" to do anything. As for #2, the factory is closed for the night already, and she and her sister end up going back and working all that night to complete the order.  And #3 is just following the long tradition of a big old happy Broadway musical ending.  Nowhere is Estella and the family "exploiting" or "pressuring" these women who are like family.  Just my .02 cents (after seeing the show 5 times (so far).

 

[THDavis]

Posted: 6/1/25 at 2:13pm

I think it may be looking at the show too literally/cynically to suggest the title number is sexual harassment… it’s a group of colleagues under similar circumstances feeling camaraderie and support. Also, they get to various levels of comfort/undress, which would suggest their own limits. 

After that number, I could easily see a young person feeling empowered and wanting to explore that empowerment with another young person she feels comfortable with. As someone twice her age, I can now say it’s foolish. But she’s supposed to be 18 - times are different then. 

The ending does have a few cringey, but otherwise feel good moments to me, too. But it’s styled after traditional musical theater: leave on a happy note. I can forgive them for the preceding 2 hours of sheer joy. 

[Jonathan Cohen]

Posted: 6/1/25 at 2:32pm

JSquared2 said: "I get what you're saying in the Spoilers -- but (respectfully) I think you're a bit off base there. Without giving things away, in #1, no one is in any way being "forced" or "pressured" to do anything.As for #2, the factory is closed for the night already, and she and her sister end up going back and working all that night to complete the order. And #3 is just following the long tradition of a big old happy Broadway musical ending. Nowhere is Estella and the family "exploiting" or "pressuring" these women who are likefamily. Just my .02 cents (after seeing the show 5 times (so far)."

Going back to the spoiler box because I am giving things away...

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

With #1, I just found a TheaterMania recording of them rehearsing the title song. 

At the beginning of the song, Estela initially tells Ana to keep your clothes on, this is a place of business. Ana does not respect that boundary. Are the dynamics between sisters different than normal coworkers? Of course, but they're having this interaction in front of all their workers. 

Then Estela changes her mind and sings the lyric "I'm the boss and I say we take it off". She's asking her employees to strip, in the context of reminding them she's in change.      

There's one character, I believe Prima Flaca, who initially doesn't want to take off her clothing with the rest. The other characters dance (not in the rehearsal video but on stage in their underwear), all looking directly at her until she throws up her hands saying, "ok, ok, I'm in". 

I get the point of this song was to empower women to feel good about their bodies, but the way they get for sure involves pressure. It's at the very least inappropriate workplace behavior, to the point that Estela literally says that at the beginning of the song.   

With point #3, I totally agree with you that Estela does not financially pressure the workers to give back their paychecks. My pushback has more to do with the idea the workers are like family. When Itzel is sent to a detention center, the official García family position is we don't even try to help her, to the point that Ana was criticized for even visiting her. 

If say Estela had been detained, Carmen would have handled it differently because they are literally family. I dislike the workers donating their paychecks to Estela because it shows the workers making actual sacrifices for the García family, when the Garcías made no sacrifices for their workers. 

I'm not saying the García family was malicious in the slightest, but they treat their workers like employees, while the workers are treating the Garcías like family. For a Broadway happy ending, it sucks that the most economically disadvantaged characters are the only ones making a financial sacrifice. This isn't their happy ending.  

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 6/2/25 at 10:15am

Despite not being nominated for best musical, the company WILL be performing on the Tony Awards telecast!

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 6/2/25 at 12:38pm

Happy to hear this show will perform. I revisited the show the other day and it's simply brilliant with a great score and the title number moved me to tears. I haven't seen every Broadway show, but by far this is the best new musical of the season. A pity that it's not nominated. The theatre was very busy, but it should have been 100% sold out.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 6/2/25 at 1:10pm

I have to give it to the producers (much like I gave credit to the MHE producers during the terrible grosses in the early days when a lot of doomsayers were saying the show was toast). The fact that they're keeping the show running and are willing to pay for the Tony performance, despite the current grosses, indicate they really believe in the show and are truly behind it. It may not look like the most sensible move from a business perspective, but it's always commendable to see producers standing by a show they clearly must be passionate about.

[Wick3]

Posted: 6/2/25 at 1:32pm

I agree the producers firmly believe in this work which is great. There is a financial component too though as they still need to pay its weekly costs (including marketing.) I wonder if the producers were able to find new investors or maybe they obtained a loan. Whatever it is, I really hope it works out and they'll be able to at least last through this summer and hopefully through the holidays.

[JSquared2]

Posted: 6/2/25 at 3:32pm

Wick3 said: "I agree the producers firmly believe in this work which is great. There is a financial component too though as they still need to pay its weekly costs (including marketing.) I wonder if the producers were able to find new investors or maybe they obtained a loan. Whatever it is, I really hope it works out and they'll be able to at least last through this summer and hopefully through the holidays."

 

I'm fairly certain that the Weisslers have enough CHICAGO money in between the cushions of their couches to cover the losing weeks of RWHC.

 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 6/2/25 at 8:07pm

The musical will also be performing tomorrow on The Today Show. 

Updated On: 6/2/25 at 08:07 PM