June 9, 2023 at 10:13 p.mUpdated 7 m ago
A drama set in Cuba with political and romantic plots opened Friday in Red Bank.
“Two Sisters and a Piano” tells the story of a woman who longs to see her husband again while he is under house arrest in Cuba. Novelist Marie Celia pays a price for her writing under a repressive political regime. The plot revolves around her and her sister Sofia, a pianist, in their quest to be free.
Actress Eden Espinosa is known for roles in the Broadway musicals “Wicked” and “Rent.” “Two sisters and a piano” is his first work.
Written by Pulitzer Prize winner Nilo Cruz, the Two River Theater production in Red Bank is based on true events. He says the themes ring true to his own life.
“My family was completely disenchanted with the revolution in Cuba. They were revolutionaries at the beginning and very pro-Castro and then they were disenchanted and wanted to leave the country,” says Cruz.
The piano represents freedom for Sofia’s character, but the country itself feels like a prison for the two sisters. When a man enters each of their lives, a lieutenant for Maria Celia and a piano tuner for Sofia, there is some optimism, but their quest to be free is their only hope.
