LES JARDINS D’ANUNCIA, the first musical comedy to be commissioned by Old Globe, is a charming, funny and heartfelt musical that celebrates the love of family, art and even adversity that helps a person truly thrive. . THE GARDENS OF ANUNCIA is playing at the Old Globe until October 17th.
This Globe-commissioned world premiere musical is loosely based on the life of director and choreographer Graciela Daniele, with a book, music and lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa. It would be easy with a career like Daniele’s to put on a show on his journey from the 1940s, Peron controlled Argentina until the present day.
Instead, Daniele chooses to focus the story by paying homage to the family of the women who raised her. Their strengths and sacrifices enabled Daniele to become the artist who would one day win a Tony Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021.
The show opens with the current Anunica (Carmen Roman) in her garden, holding a box, talking to the flowers in her garden, and remembering the gardening and life advice she received when she was young. She has a job to do before she has to leave the garden to travel to town to collect her prize. She laughs and laments having to drive around town for hours and get dressed, only when she comes back to go back to her garden.
The garden of Anuncia, it is flowers and foliage, but also a garden of memories that arise in a colorful and unexpected way. The tomatoes remind him of his grandmother (Mary Testa), the irises that bloom when and where they want to remind him of his TÃa Lucia (Andréa Burns), and the resilience and beauty of the flowers remind him of his Mamà (Eden Espinosa). Young Anuncia (Kalyn West) also dances in the garden to remind old Anuncia of all the good and bad times.
Testa is delightfully funny as a grandmother, especially when speaking or dealing with her beloved husband who is so estranged. His duo “Waiting / Dreaming” sang along with Enrique Acevedo as the grandfather made the crowd roar with laughter and cheers before it was even finished.
Burns has a wonderful voice and exudes warmth and creativity, making it easy to see how TÃa Lucia helped shape Anuncia’s creativity and artistry. When I interviewed Burns, she challenged me to come to the end of the show and not tear it up, and of course, her “Never A Goodbye†put me in the fog.
Mamà d’Espinosa is a stern but loving mother, who must have a spine of steel to keep a job in the government while keeping a low profile. It was she who introduced Anuncia to ballet (to help the arches of Anuncia) and herself had a love for tango. Her solo “Malagueña” is a dramatic moment and showcases her powerful voice.
Roman as the Older Anuncia brings an ironic and playful sense of humor, exclaims “in my garden, magical realism is only reality!” before having a conversation with a deer. She fondly recalls her memories (sometimes altering them to suit her better) and despairs of memories that are too deep to change, no matter how badly she wishes them.
West is a lovable dancer and singer and brings the excitement, stubbornness and rage that can only come from being young.
Enrique Acevedo and Tally Sessions play all male roles in the show, with comedic dueling contenders trying to win Tia’s affection for Acevedo as a traveling grandfather and Sessions as a talking deer.
The infusion of magical realism only accentuates the dreamlike feel and also explains the Talking Deer (Sessions) which gives interesting perspectives on life as it is eating the hedges in the garden.
The dream is undermined by the darker realities of loving the wrong person and living in Peron’s Argentina. This Argentina is not the tribute you may know from Andrew Lloyd Weber’s EVITA.
Lighting design by Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer, costumes by Toni-Leslie James, and co-choreography by Alex Sanchez combine to bring dreamlike realism to the stage.
Mark Wendl’s scenic design is a modern garden that allows people and memories to focus and then merge into fuzzier recesses of the mind. It’s a bit of a maze and a bit of a dance as the actors navigate the room, mimicking how memories tend to wander on their own.
The show is a cute memory game for these women and beautifully performed by a charismatic cast. The book feels light at best, and I’m not quite sure the show would work without such a strong cast.
Gardens, like the public, thrive best when loved and told. Fortunately, the audience of JARDINS D’ANUNCIA is told poignant stories exploring memories of Graciela Daniele. Now excuse me, I have to go water my roses and tell stories to my plumeria.
THE GARDENS OF ANUNCIA is playing at the Old Globe until October 17th. For more information on tickets and show time, please visit www.theoldglobe.org
Photo credit: (from left) Carmen Roman appears as Older Anuncia, Mary Testa as Granmama, Eden Espinosa as MamÃ, Kalyn West as Younger Anuncia and Andréa Burns as by TÃa in The gardens of Anuncia. Photo by Jim Cox.