
Anna in the Tropics
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Nilo Cruz’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece 'Anna in the Tropics' is a poetic, deeply sensual look at the collision between ancient romantic traditions and modern industrialization. Set in a 1929 Tampa, Florida cigar factory, the narrative centers on the arrival of a handsome new "lector"—a traditional reader hired to entertain the workers—who chooses Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina as his text, inadvertently causing the novel’s themes of illicit passion, betrayal, and tragic romance to mirror and ignite the lives of the listeners. Directed by Emily Mann at the Royale Theatre in 2003, the landmark production starred Jimmy Smits, Daphne Rubin-Vega, and Priscilla Lopez, capturing a lush milestone of Latino playwriting on Broadway.

