←Recommendations of THE ABUELAS

A powerful play showing the inner turmoil that takes place when one comes to know the hidden history of their family and the affect this has on their identity. Well done.

THE ABUELAS by Stephanie Alison Walker is heartbreaking, funny, true, arresting and uplifting. It's a play that will take you on a journey that ties what seem like disparate threads together into a tapestry that serves as a reminder that the cruelty of tyrants and brutal regimes live long past their passing. Paired with THE MADRES, Walker has created works that highlight the invisible tragedies that are too often forgotten or overlooked by history and the public imagination and forces us to remember. A marvelous work, both a tribute to those forgotten and an immediate, relevant work of theatre...

Walker illustrates the effect murderous political agendas have on their victims. These effects don't end with one generation, but are an undeserved curse to the descendants. The meaningful theme of families who lose their newborns reverberates to many, who could claim many causes for this misfortune. We can learn from the tragedies experienced in other countries and try to insure that history does not repeat itself. Walker's play has a wide scope and needs to be produced.

An absolutely beautiful play whose contemplative tone is underscored so well by the use of cello and the wintry Chicago atmosphere! Gabriela is a compelling central character, and I am with her at every step of her journey. All of the other characters are also incredibly well-fleshed out, humanly flawed, and painted with a sense of humor. Walker manages to get us to feel for each character, warts and all. The theatricality brought on by the use of music and dreams makes me desperately want to see this piece on its feet!

THE ABUELAS is a grand story that spans generations, crosses continents and yet, its truth is in all the details that make up who we are and what we hold dear. It’s about family. And blood. And it drips with the dysfunction that colors all of our experiences when we come together with loved ones… and even more so, when we fall apart from them. And if that weren’t enough, THE ABUELAS is about an international tragedy whose legacy continues to haunt so many. Walker did more than serve this important story. She spoke its language – in tears...

This is a poignant play about a family whose secret, violent past unexpectedly comes to light. Wonderful, complex characters who must grapple with difficult issues of identity and allegiance. The Abulelas beautifully depicts a heartbreaking situation with no easy answers.

I was lucky enough to see this gorgeous play at Antaeus in Los Angeles this past month, and it is a beautiful gut-punch of a play. For many Americans, this is likely their first introduction to The Abuelas, and the children murdered, the grandchildren abducted by a despotic administration. But beyond that, it's a heartbreaking portrait of what it means when your identity (or, what you thought was your identity) is shaken to its core. An important and visceral play.

A beautifully rendered reminder of how ancestral trauma lingers, and how it can be overcome. How do you handle learning of a family lie that undermines everything you know about yourself? Compellingly woven throughout is a valuable history lesson that I would guess most Americans don't already know. Multi-layered and complex, this play reaches through history in order to heal.

Beautifully written story of a family with a painful past. Lots of humor to help with the heavy subject matter. A slice of history I knew nothing about.

I just saw the first preview of the Teatro Vista production of this play. It's a perfect companion to The Madres. It's urgently important storytelling. It's hard to reduce this deeply moving play to a brief description. But I will say it shows a woman in an impossible situation navigating her identity and figuring out what it means to be a daughter, mother, wife and artist. This play is relevant to this cultural moment for dozens of reasons.