Josefina López was only 18 when she started working at her sister’s Boyle Heights sewing factory in 1988 while awaiting amnesty as an undocumented immigrant. The budding writer bonded with seamstresses who spoke candidly about sex (or lack thereof) and crushed on local mechanics.
“I was straight out of high school. I barely had a green card. I could only get a job at McDonald’s,” said López in an interview via Zoom. “I didn’t make a lot of money, but I learned a lot. It was like research for an investigative piece.”
That six-month factory job became the creative foundation for “Real Women Have Curves,” López’s iconic play-turned-film that has become a cultural touchstone for Latinas across the U.S. Now, more than three decades after she first began scribbling scenes during bathroom breaks inside the Boyle Heights factory, the story makes its Broadway debut—reimagined as a vibrant, music-filled celebration of immigrant resilience and intergenerational womanhood.
López first wrote the play while studying under legendary Cuban-born playwright María Irene Fornés at New York’s INTAR (International Arts Relations), a Latinx theater training ground. She savored the stories of intergenerational women in that factory, where sewing machines buzzed and laughter filled the air.
“I really wanted to capture this joy and document my experience feeling invisible as an undocumented immigrant for 13 years,” said López, 56, who now celebrates 25 years of her own Latinx theater breeding ground, CASA 0101 Theater in Boyle Heights.
The play centers young Mexican American Ana García as she navigates cultural expectations of family loyalty and body weight ideals while dreaming of college and her mother’s approval.
First staged at San Francisco’s Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts in 1990, “Real Women Have Curves” catapulted into pop culture when it became a Sundance-winning film in 2002 starring America Ferrera. In 2023, it debuted as a musical at the American Repertory Theater (ART). Directed by Sergio Trujillo, “Real Women Have Curves: The Musical” will open on Broadway this weekend.
“I always knew it could be a musical,” said López, who decided to become a playwright after being introduced to Luis Valdez’s play “Zoot Suit” at Hollenbeck Middle School. “There’s so much sound, inherent movement and dance in a sewing factory.”
Adapted as a musical book by playwright and screenwriter Lisa Loomer (“Girl, Interrupted”) with musical theater writer Nell Benjamin (“Mean Girls”), “RWHC: TM” stays true to its roots. Ana (Tatianna Córdoba) grapples with her Columbia University acceptance while helping fulfill a massive order at the family garment business.
Loomer introduced new characters too: Guatemalan immigrant Itzel (Aline Mayagoitia), queer seamstress Prima Fulvia (Sandra Valls) and Prima Flaca (Shelby Acosta). Ana and Estela’s mother, Carmen (played by Justina Machado of “One Day at a Time”), is now menopausal and reckons with her own deferred dreams.
“If we lose joy and connection in our workplace—break time, chisme, cafécitos–we become capitalist clogs,” said Loomer. “There’s power in community.”
According to López, “Real Women Have Curves: The Musical” represents one of the most authentically Mexican lineups Broadway has ever seen. López, who was born in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, served as a consultant for the Broadway production and helped recruit Compton-born Mexican American casting director Víctor Vázquez Santos, who held the first casting at CASA 0101. The show features music by Grammy Award-winning Mexican artist Joy Huerta (of Jesse & Joy), alongside composer Benjamin Velez.
At the production’s first rehearsal, López delivered an emotional speech about the importance of visibility – as a woman, an immigrant and a Latina. Her words struck a deep chord with the cast and crew.
“I feel honored to represent the immigrant community on a Broadway stage,” said Mexican actor and singer Florencia Cuenca, who makes her Broadway debut as Ana’s sister Estela García. “We deserve to be seen and be center stage. This is for all the immigrants who have big dreams.”
Actor Gina Rodriguez and Puerto Rican playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda recently attended the first preview of “Real Women Have Curves: The Musical.” And just like Miranda put Washington Heights center stage with his hit Broadway show “In the Heights,” López says it’s now Boyle Heights’ time to shine.
“I broke down crying when I saw it on stage for the first time,” said López, who’s in post production on her companion film “20 Pounds To Happiness (Eat. Love. Joy.).” “It was a relief. It happened. That desire and wish finally came true.”
“Real Women Have Curves: The Musical” officially opens April 27 at the James Earl Jones Theatre in New York.
