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On Theater: No smoke, but plenty of steam in ‘Anna’

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Simmering passions boil and bubble underneath the ennui of the manufacturing of Cuban cigars at the Newport Theatre Arts Center, where the Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Anna in the Tropics” has taken up residence.

This steamy chronicle by Nilo Cruz takes its audiences back to an era when the mundane labor of cigar rollers was freshened by a “lector,” who read to the mostly illiterate workers while they rolled the tobacco into their products.

“Anna” — referring to “Anna Karenina,” the Russian novel being read to the workers by their new lector — unfolds in Ybor City, Fla., during Prohibition, when liquor still appears plentiful for the transplanted Cubans. The lectors soon will be unemployed as the employees are replaced by machines.

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Director Michael Serna’s Newport production stirs its passions ever so slowly at the outset, as old relationships fade and new ones flourish. And, thankfully, cigar smoking is simulated, but no offending foul odors are emitted.

The cigar factory is a family business operated by a gambling-addicted Santiago (Joseph Manville) and his wife, Ofelia (the brilliant Laura Flores). She works alongside her daughters, the naive Marela (Michelle Skinner) and the sultry Conchita (Pallavi Srinivasan), who’s reached an emotional impasse with her surly husband, Palomo (Cameron Moore).

Into their lives comes handsome new lector Juan Julian (Adam Navarro), who stirs the ladies’ fervor and irritates their men — especially the hot-blooded Cheche (Angel Correa), whose wife has recently discarded him. It’s a situation ripe for intrigue and violence.

Playwright Cruz keeps a tight lid on the frustration through most of the first act, but tempers flare in the second — chiefly by Correa’s frustrated character, who pushes for automation, often at the top of his voice, and the ousting of the lector, whom he views as a rival. Initially, Correa’s outbursts appear overdone, but they do serve to magnify his combustible character.

The most impressive performance is given by Flores, whose calming presence is invigorated when she imbibes a little too much rum and allows her emotions full reign. By contrast, Manville as her weak-kneed husband shines in his more eloquent moments.

The two daughters are a fine contrast. Skinner’s Marela is a sheltered dreamer while big sis Conchita is more worldly-wise, seeking to escape her constricting marital bonds for a heated fling with the eloquent lector. Both underplay their assignments effectively.

Navarro impresses with his courtly manner and unstated but obvious impact on the others. Moore, as Srinivasan’s dour husband, does his best with what is the play’s most underwritten character, whose motivation (or lack thereof) is puzzling.

Serna’s factory-floor set design is properly depressing. Sean Sellers has created moodily effective lighting, and Jodi Stockinger’s period costumes enrich the atmosphere.

As a play, “Anna in the Tropics” may not seem Pulitzer-worthy, but this latest production is quite compelling once it slogs through its expository sequences at the Newport Theatre Arts Center.

*

The Newport Theatre Arts Center will ring in the holidays with “My Favorite Things,” billed as a holiday celebration from around the world for all ages.

Performances are scheduled for Dec. 19 to 21, and tickets are $12.

TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot.

If You Go

What: “Anna in the Tropics”

Where: Newport Theatre Arts Center, 2501 Cliff Drive, Newport Beach

When: 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 14 (no show on Thanksgiving Day and an additional 2 p.m. performance on Dec. 13)

Cost: $16

Information: (949) 631-0288 or https://www.ntaconline.com

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