TWO SISTERS AND A PIANO

Show's opening, with writer Maria Celia (Socorro Santiago) and her sister Sofia (Gloria Garayua) brutalized by Castro's soldiers, is powerfully directed by Karen Carpenter in darkness, a bleak effect that increases apprehension and sets a mood of claustrophobic peril. The beauty of "Two Sisters and a Piano" is its refusal to paint characters in black-and-white. A number of Carpenter's brilliantly directed vignettes: the two sisters dancing, swaying and swiveling their hips with abandon to blank out disappointments; the scorching yet sensitive physical consummation between Maria and the lieutenant; Sofia conveying deep attachment to her music when she plays, an incident rendered piercingly painful when her beloved piano is taken away; Maria Celia falling to her feet and sobbing with despair. Impeccable use of music enriches the drama. Sound -- evoking slammed jail cells, rainfall, beating of drums, street riots -- throws us so thoroughly into each moment that we lose track of our own reality while Cruz's characters bond or bruise each other in their individual quests for freedom.
- Joel Hirschhorn, Variety

Two Sisters and a Piano' Returns in Tune with Times
Now in a passionate production at the Old Globe's Cassius Carter Centre Stage, the revival of Nilo Cruz’s drama of Cubans under house arrest burnishes the Pulitzer Prize winner’s standing. The yearning is even more intense in "Two Sisters" than in "Anna" — and more organically developed. The arena-style configuration of the theater serves the play well in Karen Carpenter's staging. The sisters live in a hothouse, and everyone in the audience is only a few feet away from the heat. Santiago is a furious ball of resentment and skepticism, but her transmutation into a more hopeful woman is convincing. Garayua's transparent emotions take the audience along on every beat of her performance. With recent crackdowns on Cuban dissidents in the news, this play is all too timely. But it's also a play that transcends the topical. Its revival helps consolidate Cruz's reputation.
- Don Shirley, L.A. Times Review

Poetic, political 'Two Sisters' is well-staged, cast
"Two Sisters and a Piano" blends politics, poetry, love and lust in a tightly woven story set in 1991 Cuba. Dreamily directed by Karen Carpenter, and solidly performed by a fine quartet of actors, the interesting and satisfying play examines the very human toll of Fidel Castro's brutal policies.
Carpenter's direction is taut. She moves the actors frequently and thoughtfully around the center stage so their backs are never to one side of the audience for long, and she lifts the energy in scenes where the dialogue is less poetic and inviting. The play is most spellbinding when Maria Celia drifts into her storytelling and imaginary letters. Casting is excellent. Socorro Santiago has a weary, steely presence, and a lovely languorous speaking style as the poetess Maria Celia. And Gloria Garayua sparkles as the jubilant, youthful Sofia. Philip Hernandez brings warmth, generosity and surprising likeability to the complex character of Portuondo, and Jesse Ontiveros is so sweet and endearing as the piano tuner Victor Manuel that you long to see more of him.
- Pam Kragen, North County Times