Laughs in Spanish – Play – Review – Seattle Rep – Shows I've Seen

@showsiveseen Alexis Scheer's "Laughs in #Spanish " #comedy #play by @Seattle Rep. Starring Beth Pollack & @Diana Burbano. Loved @Gabriell Salgado's charismatic frat boy-like appeal. Scene transitions pop with fun dance breaks. Perfect for #mothersDay . Extended thru 5/17/25. #Review : showsiveseen.com/12751 Director: Dámaso Rodríguez #showsiveseen #theatre #jaja #jajaja #hispanic #latin #mothers #mother #mom ♬ Dejando Huellas – Código

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Alexis Scheer’s Laughs in Spanish comedy play by Seattle Rep. Starring Beth Pollack & Diana Burbano. Loved Gabriell Salgado’s charismatic frat boy-like appeal. Scene transitions pop with fun dance breaks. Perfect for Mother’s Day. Extended thru 5/17/25. #jaja #jajaja #hispanic #latin

Recommendation:
See it.

Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show? Yes

Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now? Maybe

Mainstream Appeal: Medium

If A Random Stranger Asked What Show They Should See This Weekend, Would I Mention This Production? Yes

My Synopsis (No Spoilers): Mariana’s art exhibit is ruined when someone steals all the paintings overnight. As pressure mounts, her glamorous unpredictable celebrity mother Estella swoops in offering to help. Can Mariana trust her, or is this just another performance?

Synopsis from the Licensor or Theatre Company: Mari is about to open a career-defining show in her Miami art gallery, but when the paintings are stolen the day of the event, all hell breaks loose. Her movie star mother sweeps into town under suspicious pretenses, the intern picks up the wrong catering order, and her high school crush arrives in a most unexpected manner… Cue the wildest day ever! Part telenovela, part whodunnit, and all heart, Alexis Scheer’s outrageous new comedy will have you laughing one minute and wanting to hug your mom the next.

Type: Play

World Premiere: No

Several or Few Scenes: A couple

Several or Few Settings/Locations: Few

Static (Stationary) or Dynamic Set: Mostly static, but one of the walls occasionally lifted to show a patio. There was also a sweet cop car that occasionally made an appearance.

Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: You need to know Spanish or some common Spanish references like “chankla” (slipper store was the gun store!), “ja ja ja,” “no me digas,” and “bruha.”

Defined Plot/Storyline: Yes

Union Actors: 3

Total Actors: 5

Perceived Pace of the Show: Medium speed

Was there an intermission? No

Length (Including Any Intermission): 80 minutes

Other Rave(s)

Dance Breaks: Charming dance break transitions (choreographed by Vanessa Villalobos) set to Latin music separated major scenes. A standout moment was celebrity mom Estella’s glamorous entrance, which was dazzlingly portrayed by Diana Burbano.
Motherly Advice: One of the funniest moments was when Estella frankly advised her daughter to masturbate in the museum bathroom to take the edge off. The moment had the same irreverent, female-forward boldness as Sex and the City’s Samantha absurdly telling Charlotte to borrow a compact makeup mirror and look at her vagina in the restaurant ladies room.
Police Car: The police car set piece was cleverly designed and vaguely reminded me of the DeLorean set piece from the Back to the Future musical. The scene that unfolded inside it was a highlight packed with revelations and surprises that had me audibly gasping and reacting throughout.
Juan: Gabriell Salgado brought a magnetic, “Latin frat-boy” charm to the role of Juan, a goofy, simple-minded cop with a penchant for weed who lived with “mami” and had a home gym. There was something entertainingly attractive about his playful confidence. He radiated a kind of naive bravado that made him both ridiculous and weirdly likable. One of the funniest moments was when told his girlfriend with complete, clueless sincerity, “You’re a feminist. You’re all about abortion.”
Scenic Design: I have a soft spot for clean-line, minimalist set designs. So, the simple modern museum setting by Sara C Walsh easily appealed to me. One of the walls even rose revealing an outdoor patio to add some visual variety. However, it struck me as odd that the patio wall was the only dynamic element the otherwise static set. Typically, I would expect dynamic transformation in the rest of the set when one of the walls rise like this. Additionally, the scenes staged on the patio didn’t necessarily require an outdoor setting. They could have just as easily taken place in another room within the museum.

Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)

Last-minute Introduction: Estella’s bizarre overly-theatrical monologue at the end of the play felt like a Hispanic echo of Maureen’s “Over the Moon” from Rent.

Theatre Company: Seattle Rep

Venue: Bagley Wright Theater at Seattle Rep

Venue Physical Address: 155 Mercer St, Seattle, WA 98109

Price Range: $29-110

Ticket Affordability Options: See the theatre’s official pages about discounts and pay-what-you-can performances.

Dates: 4/17/25 to 5/17/25

Seating: Assigned Seating

Parking: There are paid lots and paid street parking. I usually park on Mercer to the West of 1st Ave. There’s usually also plentiful street parking around Safeway. If there’s an event in Seattle Center or Climate Pledge Arena, street parking is usually limited and much more expensive.

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Pictures: See production pictures below by Bronwen Houck.

Cast and Production Team: See after pictures below.