"Laughs in Spanish": Lo Bueno y Lo Malo

Laughs in Spanish by Alexis Scheer in many ways, serves as a tribute to the vibrant city of Miami. The production more or less conveys a sense of the city, particularly through its set design, use of Spanglish, and lively dancing. However, while the play generally succeeds in this regard, the overall experience feels lacking, like being on the periphery rather than fully immersed in the moment. The play is playful, unserious at moments, yet the plot tends to be anticlimactic and low stakes, particularly towards the end. 

The play opens in utter disarray as paintings have been stolen, and Mari, the main character, is expected to hold an art gallery show that evening. With no paintings to display, her fiery temper (panic mode)  and workaholic nature add to the overall chaos of the situation. However, with the support of her friends and family, the situation begins to stabilize. Juan, a Miami police officer, leads the investigation, while his girlfriend, Caro, offers to lend her paintings for the show. Additionally, Mari’s mother, Estella, unexpectedly arrives in Miami,  accompanied by her assistant and former school friend, Jenny, who further helps.  

At the heart of the play is the relationship between Mari and her mother. Estella is a famous Hollywood actress, and the tension in their relationship stems from her frequent absences. Mari recalls the time she felt overshadowed and abandoned by her mother, ultimately quitting music and art. In boarding school, Mari even went so far as to tell people her mother was dead. This frustration culminates in her saying, “I don't want to be in the spotlight cause that means everyone else I love is in the dark.” The two characters are in stark contrast with each other. Estella is glamorous and confident, while Mari is uptight and guarded. Despite their differences, they share similarities: like mother and daughter, they both hide behind walls to protect themselves. Estella with her celebrity-dom and Mari with her stoicism and refusal to be vulnerable.

In the latter part of the play, during the art gallery, Estella delivers a monologue about how her past shaped her into who she is today, ending with “God gave her grace she did not give to me. And what happens next is up to her.” This line potentially explains why Estella did the things she did, like her absences, suggesting that she wanted Mari to become her own person, free from the constraints that once held her back. The conclusion of Estella’s monologue marks the end of tension, but the beginning of a rekindled relationship between her and Mari. 

The theme of relationships, and the power and importance of connection, both positive and negative, is prominent throughout the play. I appreciated the intimacy with the characters, particularly between Juan and Caro. Their ability to communicate openly with each other stands in contrast with Mari and her mother’s relationship, making their bond very heartwarming. Moments I especially liked between them were in the scenes where they weren’t the focus but in the background, being intimate, making the world of Laughs in Spanish feel somewhat real. 

Furthermore, I enjoyed the set design, which had a museum-like quality. Props such as the cop car cut in half were striking, adding to the overall effect of the play. The costumes were fun and colorful, and reflected the personality of the characters. Additionally, the music, dance scenes, and lighting contributed a lot to the story, making a lively statement in their own right.    

Despite all this, parts of the play fell flat to me, particularly the plot. The play is only ninety minutes long, which in itself is a constraint that the writer likely had to grapple with. Plays are generally two to two and a half hours long, often with intermissions. However, Laughs in Spanish did not have that luxury. With only ninety minutes, there’s a limited scope to what they can do, and the play had a lot it tried to achieve. This was evident in the numerous subplots, which I found to be excessive, leading to some plot threads hanging.  

The mother and daughter relationship, central and integral to the overall play, inevitably and expectedly overshadowed the subplots. The play began with the theft of the paintings, a strong hook that immediately captured my attention. It made me curious about how the mystery would be resolved, whether Mari would discover who stole the paintings, and how that would affect her relationships, especially those she trusted.

In the police car scene, Juan and Caro exchange and reveal secrets to each other: Juan admits to stealing the paintings, and Caro reveals she’s pregnant. Juan’s desire for Caro to be seen and her paintings was very touching, overlapping with Mari’s resentment towards her mother being absent and struggles without her. The immediate effect of the plot twist was shocking indeed; however, Caro’s pregnancy could’ve been omitted, and nothing about the play would change. I was especially disappointed when Estella’s monologue ended and the characters started dancing, leaving the stolen painting plot to be unresolved, and no actual artwork to ever be seen. It felt cartoonish. 

I try to rationalize it by thinking: perhaps the intention was to reflect reality, where not everything is immediately resolved, despite how unserious the play can be. Just as the play never showed any art pieces, maybe the characters themselves were meant to be art reflecting life or us, the audience. Overall, I have many positive things to write about the play, especially the themes and ideas it explored. Despite that, the plot did not click with me. The intrigue and excitement waned, much like the dancing that spectacularly ended the performance. 

Lead photo: Beth Pollack, Diana Burbano, Cheyenne Barton, Diana Garle, and Gabriell Salgado in Laughs in Spanish (2025). Scenic Design by Sara C Walsh. Photo by Sayed Alamy. 

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This review was written as part of an Arts Criticism workshop at Evergreen High School in Emily Acquino’s Language Arts classes, taught by Press Corps teaching artist Jose Abaoag. This program is supported, in part, by a grant from the Washington State Arts Commission.