Two Sisters and a Piano at Writers Theatre
The play unfolds in Cuba during 1991, a pivotal moment when rumors of the Russians' departure ripple through the island nation. At the center of the story are novelist Maria Celia and her sister Sofia, confined under house arrest yet refusing to surrender their spirits. While Maria Celia awaits word from her exiled husband, the sisters cling to dreams of freedom in their constrained world. Their isolation is disrupted by two unexpected visitors: a romantic young piano tuner and a charismatic military officer drawn to Maria Celia's literary work. Through these encounters, Cruz weaves themes of oppression, human resilience, and the complex interplay of personal desire against the backdrop of shifting global politics."The particular convergence of firsts in this production is exciting to me," said Artistic Director Braden Abraham. "A major contemporary American writer, Nilo Cruz, and a celebrated long-time Chicago director, Lisa Portes, both making their Writers Theatre debuts. Nilo's plays delight on the page, but they are really sensory experiences meant to be experienced on stage. Two Sisters and a Piano combines the palpable heat of an unlikely romance with the high stakes of a political thriller. Nilo has little interest in debate; instead he's interested in the shape of desire, the cost of repression, and the contradictory forces that shape his characters."
The production features Andrea San Miguel as Maria Celia and Neysha Mendoza Castro as Sofia, with Adam Poss as Lieutenant Portuondo and Arash Fakhrabadi as Victor Manuel. The cast also includes understudies Veronica Garrubbo, Richard Gomez, and Carisa Gonzalez. Behind the scenes, the creative team brings together Brian Sidney Bembridge's scenic design, Izumi Inaba's costume design, Jason Lynch's lighting design, and Andre Pluess's sound design, with Jonny Martinez providing choreography and Greg Geffrard serving as violence and intimacy director.
Cruz made history in 2003 when he became the first Latino playwright to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for "Anna in the Tropics," and he remains the most produced Cuban-American playwright in the United States. His work continues to resonate with contemporary audiences, with his opera "El último sueño de Frida y Diego" scheduled to premiere at Lyric Opera of Chicago this spring. "Two Sisters and a Piano" draws inspiration from the real-life imprisonment of Cuban poet and activist Maria Elena Cruz Varela, lending the drama an additional layer of historical significance.
This Writers Theatre production, presented under the leadership of Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma and Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Artistic Director Braden Abraham, includes a new prologue to the second act. The play stands as a testament to how art and love persist even within the confines of political oppression, exploring the soul's yearning for liberty through Cruz's distinctive poetic sensibility.
Performances take place at the Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre at 325 Tudor Court in Glencoe. For tickets and additional information about "Two Sisters and a Piano" and Writers Theatre's complete 2025/26 season, visit writerstheatre.org.