Feature: Nancy Rodriguez continues to command the stage in second month of performances for American Players Theatre's "Mala"

Isaac Trussoni, Madison 365 | September 18, 2023

With just a handful of performances left for September and only two in October, American Players Theatre’s (APT) production of “Mala” should be a priority for any fan of theater or anyone who has gone through the process of accepting the aging and death of loved ones.

The play itself, written by Melinda Lopez, is of that very topic and follows the youngest of two Cuban daughters, Mala, and their aging mother in a loving yet stressful relationship. The story follows the general, and somewhat mundane processes of caring for an elderly person into their ’90s, but is filled with humor, reflection, and a meaningful insight into how we all, in some ways, confront the death of other people, especially parents.

The production at APT directed by Rosa Joshi has only one actress, Nancy Rodriguez, and the command she takes to the role truly captures the beauty in displaying the everyday reality that many people can identify in their own lives.

“I think what’s really wonderful about this play is like the character says, that this is ordinary, this is going to happen, but it’s filled with life and humanity,” Rodriguez told Madison365. “There’s drama in the ordinary. We’re going through it, so it’s the most truthful journey. It does not feel dramatized. It doesn’t feel like it’s being made to fit the well-made play model. It’s life, and the complexities of who we are going through this journey. As a woman, and as a Latina, there are some real specific specificities, but I think that they are so specific that they become almost universal.”

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