Cuban Zarzuela: Dramatic Tales of Fascinating Women

This sizzling double bill at GALA Hispanic Theatre in Columbia Heights features two of Cuba's most famous zarzuelas: Lecuona's María la O and Roig's Cecilia Valdés. In both works, the genre's most iconic characters inhabit the essence of Cuban women of color and their fateful stories of forbidden interracial romance and inevitable betrayal and tragedy. Music director Carlos César Rodríguez brings the signature duality of soaring melodies and irresistible rhythms to full life with Iván Navas playing Cuban percussion. Each piece is sung in Spanish, with English dialogue.