This is Not the End of the Road for ‘Real Women Have Curves’

(Photo: Julieta Cervantes)

by Chris Peterson

It was announced today that Real Women Have Curves will end its Broadway run on June 29 following 31 previews and 73 regular performances at the James Earl Jones Theatre. And while news of a closing notice always carries a certain sting, I hope we can pause to appreciate what this show meant and what it might still become.

This musical never screamed for your attention. It did not rely on spectacle or stars or branding from a movie studio that needed one more revenue stream. What Real Women Have Curves gave us a warm, joyful, honest celebration of a working-class immigrant family told with specificity, humor, and a tremendous amount of heart.

Adapted from Josefina López’s beloved play and the 2002 film it inspired, the musical transports us to East Los Angeles in the summer of 1987. At its center is Ana, a first-generation Mexican American teenager trying to forge her identity somewhere between the dreams of her parents and the realities of her own ambitions. The setting, a cramped garment factory run by women from her own community, becomes a microcosm for bigger conversations about body image, economic struggle, generational expectations, and personal freedom.

Yes, it is a story about Latinas sewing dresses. But it is also about the delicate threading of self-worth. About how every woman, every person, tries to stitch together a life that fits.

Not every review was glowing, but let’s be honest. We do not get a lot of shows like this. Directed and choreographed by Tony winner Sergio Trujillo, the production leaned into the emotional honesty of the material, never overplaying the sentiment or shying away from the awkward, thorny corners of family life. Some moments were quiet. Some raucous. But all of it felt lived-in and true.

The show may not have broken box office records or Tony glory, but its impact was palpable. In the months and years ahead, I imagine Real Women Have Curves will find its second life in high schools, regional theaters, and community stages where audiences will see their own mothers, sisters, and daughters in Ana’s story. Its message is too universal, its heart too big, to disappear quietly.

That is the beautiful irony about a show like this. The Broadway run may end in two weeks, but its reach is only beginning.

So thank you to the cast, crew, creative team, and producers for bringing this story to life. For reminding us that sometimes the boldest thing a musical can do is tell the truth. And for anyone who saw themselves, their curves, their culture, their complexities, reflected on stage for the very first time: this musical was for you. And no closing notice can take that away.