THE STORY: The Cruz family is volatile even in the best of times. On this particular day, Nelson, the youngest son, enters the house in a panic to hide the more obvious religious relics from the sight of his “gringo” girlfriend, who is visiting for the weekend. Nelson’s mother, Dahlia, is obsessed with retrieving her husband from his new girlfriend; Eddie, her elder son, shows up in a van with his failed life and pregnant girlfriend. But the “real” pandemonium is caused by sweet, long-suffering Dolores, Dahlia’s old-maid sister, when she sees the face of the Holy Virgin in a tortilla. This miracle brings hordes of believers and reporters to camp out on the Cruz’s lawn to await further miracles. As the family struggles with beliefs and conflicts, old and new, the endurance of family love is revealed to be the real miracle.
In one wild weekend, an Hispanic American family threatens to burst at the seams. The college-aged son brings home his WASPy girlfriend; his flamboyant mother goes off in mad pursuit of her straying husband, and the old aunt sees the face of the Virgin in a tortilla—turning their New Jersey home into a suburban Lourdes.
“…There is nothing more hilarious than the sound of two cultures clashing in an American living room…the play piles ethnolinguistic puns on top of sight gags and camp lust so ecstatically you’d think you were back in TV’s golden age.” —Village Voice.
“For all its farcical cleverness, this affectionate spoof…also manages to make some very sweet and serious points about the 'miracle of family love.' “ —New York Post. “…revelations that dazzle and tickle at the same time.” —The New York Times.
