“Lydia” tells the story of the Flores Family, a Mexican family living in El Paso, Texas in the 1970s, and their struggle adapting to the American way of life and their own family dynamics. The story is told through Ceci, played by Onahoua Rodriguez, a once vibrant girl, left crippled and half brain dead after a terrible car accident. Struggling to get by, the family hires a young immigrant named Lydia, played with comic brilliance by Stephanie Beatriz, to help them care for Ceci.

The set was perfectly designed by Christopher Acebo and the delicate music composition by the late Chris Webb. The cast was so real, so present – embracing every moment of their character.

There is wonderful humor within this dark, poetic story. It embraces the stereotypical clichés of a Mexican household in the United States and the complexities of family and survival in a foreign land. Despite the seriousness of the context, the play continually reminds the audience that life is really one big telenovela after all.



Mark Taper Forum is located at 135 N. Grand Ave., Downtown. For more information, visit centertheatregroup.org.