"Dona Rosita's Jalapeno Kitchen,"
One-Woman Play Starring Ruby Nelda Perez
Life's burning questions could always be answered through Dona Rosita's recipes - a few more chiles here, a bit of sugar there, with some philosophical advice on the side. Ruby Nelda Perez brings the one-woman play, "Dona Rosita's Jalapeno Kitchen" to the Reed Whipple Cultural Center, 821 Las Vegas Boulevard North, on Sunday, April 2, at 3 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 on performance day. Call (702) 229-6211 for information. For information in Spanish, call (702) 229-1520.
Dona Rosita, who was born in Mexico and came to the United States with her children, scrimped and saved to open her restaurant. But now her livelihood is threatened by progress. Though her fellow merchants have sold their businesses to a developer, Rosita resists and interacts with the audience, declaring her opposition.
Perez, one of the country's finest Chicana actors, has received critical and popular acclaim for her role as the feisty, staccato-speaking Rosita. Through voice and posture changes and with humor and poignancy, Perez portrays the family, friends and neighbors who frequent Rosita's small restaurant.
"It's comfort food," says Perez. "You pour your heart out as you pour the milk. You beat the eggs a thousand times. Then I say, 'I'm going to tell you a story.'"
Written by Rodrigo Duarte-Clark, the play is performed in English with just enough Spanish to add flavor. Perez has been telling Duarte-Clark's stories for years, ever since they met when she auditioned for the political theatre troupe El Teatro de la Esperanza, which Duarte-Clark co-founded.
Perez studied theater at Texas A & I University where she was a founding member of Teatro Bilinque. In 1977 she helped found the First Bilingual Theatre of Houston. She began a career as a solo artist twenty years ago and has given literally hundreds of performances.
"Dona Rosita's Jalapeno Kitchen" is presented by the Cultural Affairs Division of the city of Las Vegas Department of Leisure Services and cosponsored by Univision Radio
