By Lindsay B. Davis
“I’ll take her! I’m a widow! She can stay with me in Laguna Beach,” chimes Tía Siena, one of the Three Tías providing comedic relief as Roxie grieves her father and contemplates whether to become caregiver to her Peruvian-born mother with dementia. Playwright-performer Roxana Ortega embodies more than a dozen characters with deft comedy and soul-deep gravitas in the world premiere of her autobiographical solo show, Am I Roxie?
Roxie lays it all on the table: fear of death (cue Psycho), guilt over being a bad Latina daughter (“SELFISH?! As a Latina, that is the worst thing you could be!”), and an existential crisis for prioritizing Hollywood dreams over marriage, family, or caretaking (low-commitment pet fish notwithstanding).
Thanks to guidance from her “spiritual healer,” Oona, and after facing down her Inner Latina Critic (both brilliantly executed), Roxie learns to balance Hollywood shoots with nursing home visits, dating apps, and her mother’s devastating disease progression. The emotional journey unfolds through raw mother-daughter moments that transform into unforgettable comedy, such as when Roxie sees her mother’s breasts for the first time during a sponge bath, or carefully trims her hair “down there” while evoking Jurassic Park and Star Wars.
Dark humor about the operatic task of caring for a sick parent may not be everyone’s cup of Tía Siena’s chai. But in Ortega’s veteran storytelling hands, the result is entertaining and cathartic. Am I Roxie? shines as a story of modern love, Latina resilience, and the transmuting roles of mother, daughter, and sister.
It wants better content.
Director Bernardo Cubría keeps the 85-minute piece energized throughout, while Efren Delgadillo Jr.’s scenic design and Yuki Izumihara’s projections add multimedia flair, albeit with mixed results—sometimes oversupplying detail, and at other times illuminating the stage perfectly.
Against the backdrop of immigrant raids and Hollywood’s stagnant underrepresentation of Latina voices, Am I Roxie? emerges as an urgent, moving, and healing piece of theater. Do what any self-respecting Angeleno would: see Am I Roxie?
Am I Roxie? plays at the Geffen Playhouse through October 5.
‘Am I Roxie?’ takeaway
On September 26, the Geffen Playhouse will donate 100% of single-ticket proceeds to Latinas Acting Up—a community of Latina creatives amplifying voices and transforming entertainment and the arts through advocacy, mentorship, and representation—as part of its Community Partners Appreciation Night. Select “Benefit Latinas Acting Up” when choosing seats.
Roastmaster Jeff Ross offers a sentimental simmer in his Broadway debut
MORE RECENT SOLO SHOW REVIEWS
Why Morgan Bassichis won’t let Frank Maya stay dead
