HORTENSIA AND THE MUSEUM OF DREAMS
dp n="88" folio="72" ?
PRODUCTION HISTORY
Hortensia and the Museum of Dreams was commissioned by the Latino Theatre Initiative at Center Theatre Group’s Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, California.
Hortensia and the Museum of Dreams premiered September 15, 2001, at the New Theatre (Rafael de Acha, Artistic Director; Eileen Suarez, Managing Director) in Coral Gables, Florida. It was directed by Rafael de Acha; the set design was by Michelle Cumming, the lighting design was by Travis Neff, the sound design was by Steve Shapiro; the production stage manager was Amanda Lee Clark. The cast was as follows:
LUCIANA | Tanya Bravo |
LUCA | Carlos Orizondo |
HORTENSIA/MAMÁ FEFA | Marta Velasco |
SAMUEL/OFFICER | Robert Maxwell |
BASILIO/OFFICER | David Perez-Ribada |
GENERAL VIAMONTE/FAUSTINO/ | |
| TIO LALO/GUSTAVO SOTO/ | |
| HEREDIA | Ramon Gonzalez-Cuevas |
DELITA/HOTEL RECEPTIONIST/ | |
| AMPARO DE LAS ROSAS/ | |
| ABELARDA/MERCEDITA PEREZ | Ursula Freundlich |
dp n="89" folio="73" ?
CHARACTERS
LUCIANA, a woman in her thirties (she’s older in real life)
LUCA, Luciana’s brother, thirties (he’s older in real life)
HORTENSIA, mother of Samuel and Basilio, early fifties
SAMUEL, Basilio’s brother, early twenties
BASILIO, Samuel’s brother, twenties
GENERAL VIAMONTE, works for the Interior Ministry, forties
DELITA, a woman in her twenties
Note: Luciana and Luca should look younger than their actual age, as if their lost childhood has stopped them from aging.
OTHER CHARACTERS:
MAMÁ FEFA (played by the actor playing Hortensia)
OFFICER 1 (played by the actor playing Samuel)
OFFICER 2 (played by the actor playing Basilio)
FAUSTINO, TIO LALO, GUSTAVO SOTO
(played by the actor playing General Viamonte)
HOTEL RECEPTIONIST, AMPARO DE LAS ROSAS, MERCEDITA PEREZ
(played by the actor playing Delita)
dp n="90" folio="74" ?
TIME AND PLACE
Cuba. The pope’s visit, January 21–25, 1998.
SET
The set should have a feeling of openness. A Tibetan bell is used as a way of suspending reality.
dp n="91" folio="75" ?
ACT ONE
The music of an Afro-Cuban lullaby plays. In darkness we hear the sound of an airplane flying overhead. A slide of a boy and a girl holding suitcases is projected on a wall. Spotlight on Luciana and Luca, each sitting on her/his suitcase. They are in different spaces and don’t relate to one another. Both hold travel journals and address the audience.
Traveling
LUCA: January 2nd: The Airport.
LUCIANA: January 2nd: The Plane.
LUCA: My mother gave me this travel journal.
LUCIANA (Looks at the journal in her hand): She said write everything down.
LUCA: Write everything down, she said.
LUCIANA: Because the island will never be the same.
dp n="92" folio="76" ?LUCA (Opens the journal; laughs): My mother.
LUCIANA (Holds journal close to her chest): My mother.
LUCA (Looks at the journal in his hand): What do I do with a journal? Do I write that I don’t know how to begin? Should I write that I’m looking for my sister?
LUCIANA (Reading from her journal): I am a traveler about to disembark on the land I left with my brother when I was eleven.
LUCA: Should I write that I have to find my sister? Should I write that it’s been so long since I saw her last?
LUCIANA: In case you find this journal, please get rid of it—throw it into the sea . . .
(Sound of a large wave drowning the scene. Airport sounds. Two men dressed in militia uniforms enter the stage. Officer 1 approaches Luca, Officer 2 approaches Luciana. The Officers face the audience.)
The Arrival
OFFICER 1: Passport, señor?
OFFICER 2: Passport, señora?
OFFICER 1: Where are you coming from?
LUCIANA 1: The U.S.
LUCA: The U.S.
OFFICER 1 (Flips through passport pages): Visiting relatives?
LUCIANA: No, I am a journalist.
LUCA: Visiting relatives, Officer.
OFFICER 2: Documenting the visit of the pope?
LUCA: No.
LUCIANA: That’s correct.
OFFICER 1: Where are you staying?
dp n="93" folio="77" ?LUCIANA: Hotel Capri.
LUCA: Staying with relatives, Officer.
OFFICER 2: Proceed.
OFFICER 1: Proceed.
In the City
LUCIANA: January 2nd: Havana.
LUCA: If I close my eyes I can see it like before . . .
LUCIANA: The seawall . . .
LUCA: Same old streets.
LUCIANA: Same old blue . . .
LUCA: Same cars.
LUCIANA: Nothing like this blue.
LUCA: Just like yesterday.
LUCIANA: This is the place we went to school!
LUCA: This is the park we used to go to every afternoon!
LUCIANA: I can remember Mamá’s voice the day we left . . .
(Lights up on Mamá Fefa, wearing a 1950s dress and a scarf, and holding a small red suitcase.)
MAMÁ FEFA: Never let go of your brother’s hand. Hold on to your ticket. Over there you’ll be in different surroundings . . . Never forget me and your father, and take care of your new shoes...
LUCIANA: But I didn’t come here to retrace the past, I came to see the new generation . . . the new island . . .
dp n="94" folio="78" ?
A Place Called Home
Lights come up on Tio Lalo standing next to Luca. He is disheveled, wears glasses and is hard of hearing. He holds an old cigar box full of photographs.
TIO LALO: Here are some old photographs of you and your sister.
(Lights come up on a Hotel Receptionist. She hands Luciana the key to her room.)
HOTEL RECEPTIONIST: Here is the key to your room, señora. Here are some papers for you to sign. And I will need your passport again.
LUCIANA: My passport?
HOTEL RECEPTIONIST: Part of the procedure, señora.
TIO LALO (To Luca): Here’s a towel and soap. It’s better to bathe in the morning because the electricity is cut off after six.
HOTEL RECEPTIONIST: Here’s your itinerary for tomorrow . . . Wake-up call is at eight . . . Your tour guide is Ramon.
LUCIANA: But I don’t want a tour guide.
HOTEL RECEPTIONIST: It’s all been arranged for your convenience, señora.
TIO LALO: Here’s a bucket.
LUCA: But, Tio Lalo.
TIO LALO: If you want to bathe in the evening, you’ll have to heat up water in this bucket. And if you want hot water, you have to take the bucket across the street and buy some charcoal.
LUCA: Tio Lalo.
TIO LALO: I’ll go get you a pillow.
LUCIANA (Facing the audience): I was told about the organized tours for visitors.
LUCA (Facing the audience): I was told about the power outages.
dp n="95" folio="79" ?LUCIANA: I wasn’t going to take part in any of this.
LUCA: But a bucket of water!
LUCIANA: I never liked tours to begin with . . .
LUCA: A bucket of charcoal!
(Luciana and Luca open a couple of maps and spread them on the floor.)
Maps and the City
LUCIANA: If I make a right on N Street . . . If I walk down L Street.
LUCA: If I walk straight through La Rampa Boulevard . . .
LUCIANA: If I make a left on K Street I can cut through the park . . .
LUCA (Folds the map): I’m remembering the streets . . .
LUCIANA (Folds the map): The streets are remembering me . . .
LUCA: Blue skies, faded awnings, orange tiles . . .
LUCIANA: The world is not forgetful . . . A sidewalk never forgets to be a sidewalk . . . A tree never forgets to be a tree.
LUCA: If I stop at the Coppelia . . .
LUCIANA: If I stop at the university....