Alley Theatre Starts the New Year with Real Women Have Curves 

Welcome to Real Women Have Curves.

by

Rob Melrose

December 12, 2025

Rob Melrose
Allye Theatre Artistic Director Rob Melrose

It’s a famous movie with America Ferrera and even more recently a Broadway musical. But did you know that before all this, Real Woman Have Curves started as a play that had its premiere in the Mission District of San Francisco in 1990?  I lived in the Mission in the late 90s and the lore of this powerful play still loomed large, long before its success as a film and musical. I’m excited to get back to playwright Josefina López’s original words to discover what was so special about this play that gave it such enduring success. While set in East Los Angeles, I think the love and humor of this play will resonate strongly here in Houston, Texas. This play is so honest, emotional, moving, and yes sometimes a bit bawdy. I just love it and am excited to share it with Houston.

Sincerely,
Rob Melrose, Artistic Director

Es una película famosa protagonizada por America Ferrera y, más recientemente, un musical de Broadway. Pero ¿sabías que, antes de todo esto, Real Women Have Curves comenzó como una obra de teatro que se estrenó en el Distrito de la Misión de San Francisco en 1990? Yo viví en la Misión a finales de los años 90, y la leyenda de esta poderosa obra aún se sentía con fuerza, mucho antes de su éxito como película y musical.

Me entusiasma volver a las palabras originales de la dramaturga Josefina López para descubrir qué fue lo que hizo tan especial a esta obra y le dio un éxito que la convirtió en una obra perdurable. Aunque está ambientada en el Este de Los Ángeles, creo que el amor y el humor de esta obra resonarán profundamente aquí en Houston, Texas. Es una obra muy honesta, emotiva y conmovedora, y sí, a veces un poco pícara. Me encanta y me emociona poder compartirla con Houston.

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