photo by Mark Garvin
Philadelphia Theatre Company launched their 50th anniversary season with the Winner of the National Latine Playwrights Award, La Egoísta. This loving, and hilarious, story focuses on the lives of two distant sisters with very different beliefs, written by Dominican-American playwright and Philadelphia native Erlina Ortiz.
Josefina (Sasha Merci) is a rising stand-up comic who gets a lot of laughs by making jokes about her family, including the recent death of her mother. Her sister Betsaida (María Gabriela González) is a devoted Jahova’s Witness who takes things more seriously. But when her sudden illness and medical bills means she needs some help from her sister, will Josefina stop laughing and step up? Will family come first?
This is a unique take on being a caregiver and what it means to push your own life aside to be there for someone who needs you. Completing the cast is Marisol Rosa-Shapiro who takes on the role of the puppeteer with giant talking cats and food come to life to represent the inner thoughts and emotions of the lead characters. Watching the sisters struggle with asking for help/offering help is something we can all relate to- it’s hard not to be selfish sometimes, but uprooting our lives to take on something that wasn’t planned for is something we unfortunately all have to handle eventually.
La Egoísta ends this weekend, so see it if you can. Balancing everything life throws at you isn’t fun, but you still can laugh about it. Tickets here.
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