La Gota Fria: The Cold Sweat
Written Anna Capunay; Directed by Gregory Lipson
Presented by Anna Capunay and Bill McDonald in association with Anna Marcus-Hecht
The Players Theatre | 115 MacDougal Street, New York, NY 10012
March 6th - March 23rd
Like the playwright, I remember my world stopping when my mother was diagnosed with cancer. And like the characters of the play, I refused to feel helpless and useless and sought out other treatments or remedies to help her. Anna Capunay has perfectly captured the whirlwind of emotions you feel as you become an expert on what is available. But this isn’t happening in the time of WebMD when we can’t help but learn there’s a strong chance we have a fatal disease every time a cough lingers beyond a few days. La Gota Fria takes place in the early days of AOL when Abeulo has no idea what electronic mail is, and when corporate greed, particularly in Big Pharma, was on the rise.
Josefina is sick, but still busy taking care of her family. Her mother has passed, and she is taking care of her aging father, blind from diabetes. J. Santiago Suarez as Manuel Gonzalez is a blind man who sees all, has a joyful spirit and a deep love for his family. And, he can still pack a punch when he needs to. He's willing to accept whatever Josefina wants to do. Josefina orchestrates her daughter and new son-in-law moving back to NYC for what she thinks is a new job, but really to take over Josefina's job when she's gone. Pilar Valdes as Josefina is holding it all together for her family. Valdes handles the role elegantly. She is strong, but vulnerable; resilient, but afraid of hope; loving, but firm.
Yessenia Rivas and Danny Borba, as the daughter and son-in-law, light up the stage whenever they enter. They remind us of the joy in life that keeps us moving through the hard times. But, Alfredo, (not Al, not Freddy), may prove to be a foil - he works for Big Pharma. Jared Trevino rounds out the cast as the family friend/ childhood sweetheart of Rivas’ Irene, Enrique, whose devotion to Josefina may have deeper roots than anyone is ready for, including himself.
Gregory Lipson direction moves the ensemble through this 90-minute (no intermission) play with ease. As a new play, the cast and crew will learn a lot from having an audience. While cancer is nothing to laugh at, it is joy and laughter that sustain us in the hard times. While you will ride a roller coaster of emotions with the characters, you will be glad you took the ride.
Click HERE for tickets.
Review by Nicole Jesson.
Published by Theatre Beyond Broadway on March 10th, 2025. All rights reserved.