Más Dramáticas debuts as part of Destinos 2024 – The 7th Chicago International Latino Theater Festival, produced by the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA)

Más Dramáticas, is many things. It’s a Drag cabaret, a love letter, a joyful celebration of camp and telenovelas of the 80s and 90s, and it’s a peek into a culture that loves a good story, with plenty of dramatics. Written and directed by Esteban Pantoja, it is presented by Cabaret Parodia – the only Latine, LGBTQIA+ theater company on Chicago’s south side.

Más Dramáticas is presented as the story of an acting school. The director of the school shares the history of her academy and unveils the talents of five of her most talented students. Each student has an opportunity to present a number, and a scene from a classic telenovela. Each student is chasing her dreams to become a telenovela star, and the most fabulous, most dramatic, actress. What this means practically is that the show is a cabaret of beloved telenovelas from the 80s and 90s, and the cast takes turns acting out their over-the-top theme songs and a few choice, dramatic scenes.

Esteban Pantoja stars as the Director, and acts as the Emcee. The cast is rounded out by three lovely ladies and one dashing man. I’m sorry to say, a cast list was not provided, but happy to report they were all a delight to see onstage. The show is a review of classic novelas, which themselves are a wonderful, campy window into Latin American Culture. Novelas are all larger than life, filled with scandal, love, loss and betrayal. The players of Cabaret Parodia took that tradition and added even more, hence the title: MAS Dramáticas.

The cast embraced their opportunity to emote with extra sequins, enthusiasm and passion. Each theme song and acted out sequence was meticulously, and hilariously recreated, but with a little extra – everything that can be bedazzled, is bedazzled, staring into the middle distance with a woe-is-me posture is required every ten minutes, a make out scene is an over the top tongue-fest and it’s not a real fight till someone’s wig is ripped off. Pantoja is an expert at working a crowd, and the audience ate up every minute, occasionally even participating, or singing along. For the uninitiated, the shows featured are easily found on YouTube:

Rosa Salvaje (Wild Rose)

Dos Mujeres un Camino (Two Women, One Road)

Teresa

María la del Barrio (Maria from the Neighborhood)

Maria Mercedes

La Ursurpafora (The Usurper)

Musical Mentiras (Musical of Lies)

El Extraño Retorno de Adriana Salazar (The Strange Return of Adriana Salazar)

Even if you weren’t lucky enough to catch the show, these campy, hilarious blasts from the past are worth looking up. It’s a testament both to telenovelas and to the cast that the fact that the show was in Spanish wouldn’t stop me from recommending it to an English speaker. The actors all used their bodies, their faces and the music to tell captivating stories, and the physical humor was constant. Drama is a universal language. The only thing this show was missing was a traveling spotlight, so that when the characters entered the audience, they never lost their light for a moment. I’m looking forward to seeing what Cabaret Parodia has to present next.

CLATA produces a citywide, annual festival showcasing local Latine theater artists and companies alongside top artists from the U.S. and Latin America. This year’s festival runs from September 30 through November 17. It features a diverse array of bilingual, Spanish and Latine-themed shows, panels and student performances at marquee venues downtown, at local storefront theaters, and cultural institutions in predominantly Latine neighborhoods throughout Chicago. Be sure to check out what is coming up next at https://clata.org/en/

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Alina C. Hevia

Presented at the National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W.19^th St. in Pilsen. Two shows only: October 23 and 24 at 7:00pm. Tickets were $35

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.