Primary Stages has cast Benjamin Benne's Fantasma, a Christmas Eve play about three generations of women and a family recipe, which runs at 59E59 Theaters from November 7 to December 20 under the direction of Laurie Woolery.
The six-woman company is Alma Martinez as Rosie, Zabryna Guevara as Carmen, Adriana Sevan as Ramona, Nancy Rodriguez as Patty, Camila Moreno as Celeste and Elizabeth Ramos as Lizzy.
The play is set in Rosie's kitchen, freshly renovated, where the family has gathered to make chuchitos, a Guatemalan dish that has always been taught by hand and by feel rather than written down. The granddaughters set out to record the recipe one step at a time and find that getting it on paper is not the same as keeping it. The story covers close to 20 years and runs 90 minutes without an intermission.
Fantasma has taken a long road to New York. South Coast Repertory commissioned it, with support from the Elizabeth George Foundation, and it went on to the Playwrights' Center's 40th anniversary PlayLabs, a New Works Lab residency at Duke University and The Public before landing in Primary Stages' own Liff Lab, the company's new-play development program. Benne developed it with Cat Rodríguez, who also wrote its Spanish translations. Primary Stages presents it with the Lucille Lortel Theatre, in association with Jan McAdoo.
Woolery's design team is Efren Delgadillo Jr. (sets) and Haydee Zelideth (costumes), with original music and sound design by Daniela Hart, Noel Nichols, Bailey Trierweiler and UptownWorks. Casting is by The Telsey Office.
Three performances carry talkbacks: the cast and creative team on Wednesday, November 18; a Latine Night on Friday, November 20, with Benne in conversation with playwrights including Migdalia Cruz and Cusi Cram; and a Latine community performance with the Latinx Playwrights Circle on Sunday, December 6, at 2pm.
Performances are Tuesday to Friday at 7pm, Saturday at 2pm and 7pm and Sunday at 2pm, with a changed schedule over Thanksgiving week. 59E59 Theaters is at 59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues; tickets are available from the box office on 646-892-7999 and through the Primary Stages production page.
