A drama set in Cuba with political and romantic plotlines opened Friday in Red Bank.
“Two Sisters and a Piano” tells the story of a woman yearning to see her husband once more as she is under house arrest in Cuba. Novelist Marie Celia pays a price for her writings under a repressive political regime. The plot revolves around her and her sister Sofia, a pianist, in the quest to be free.
Actress Eden Espinosa is known for roles in the musicals “Wicked” and “Rent” on Broadway. “Two Sisters and a Piano” is her first play.
Written by Pulitzer Prize-winner Nilo Cruz, the production at Two River Theatre in Red Bank is based on actual events. He says that the themes ring true for his own life.
“My family were 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,” Cruz says.
The piano represents freedom for the character of Sofia, but the country itself feels like imprisonment for the two sisters. When a man comes into each of their lives – a lieutenant for Maria Celia and a piano tuner for Sofia – there is a glimmer of optimism, but their quest to be free is their one true hope.
“Two Sisters and a Piano” is set to run through June 25.