Theatre Review: EXQUISITA AGONÍA Is One of The Most Unique Plays Off Broadway

Playing at the legendary Repertorie Espanol and written by Nilo Cruz, the playwright is known for writing eccentric and beautiful plays; Exquisita Agonia is no different. When Amer (Gilberto Diaz-Flores) receives a heart transplant from Millie’s husband, Lorenzo, Millie and her family struggle with the idea that his heart still beats but not with them. Yet, can a heart have an imprint of love that transfer from body to body?

Conceptually, I thought Exquisita Agonia was brilliant. I adored the notion of this young man feeling the spirit, emotions, and memories of the heart that was given to him by a man who had to did to do so. We never meet Loranzo, but Cruz’s writing, along with Jose Zayas meticulous direction, make sure Lorenzo is the ghost that haunts everyone; keyword being haunts. He was charming, brilliant, loving, cold, callous, and insensitive. In every way, Lorenzo was human, but his family struggles to accept the duality of his humanity, and draws Amer into their issues; speaking to him as if he is Lorenzo.

Gilberto Diaz- Flores gives Amer a sweet quietness that stands out compared to the combustive personalities surrounding him. He clutches his chest, smiles, and tries to comfort a tirades of emotions and personas that do not know how to deal with his having Lorenzo’s heart. You have Amer’s brother, Imanol (played hilariously by Pedro De Leon,) who steals scenes with his mischievous smirk. De Leon also has a light-hearted impact on the stage, along with German Caramillo’s Doctor Castillo; who graces the stage with gentlemanly offerings of wisdom. Yet, once again, they becomes soulful comparisons for the Marcel Family, and show that a good family/ person loves your through your problems; they do not give them to you.

Millie is the epicenter of the drama, and Luz Nicolas makes SURE you know it. Every move Luz makes as Millie feels grand; as if she walked off the set of a Katherine Hepburn or Ava Gardener film. She is so glamorous and broken, all at once, which makes her feel iconic and turns you feel protective over her, especially because her kids do not understand her. Lorenzo was no saint, but he was the love of Millie’s life, and her daughter Romy (Soraya Padrao) and son Tommy (Gonzalo Trigueros) seem confused how to handle their mother’s delusion that Lorenzo was perfect, while they know he was anything but. Their battling eagerness to crash Millie from her delusion takes a fiery center stage in the second act.

Admittedly, the second act of Exquisita Agonia is A LOT. It is a heavy act that takes the noble curiosity of the first act and erupts it with familial pains and secrets. While in the first half, you presume a romance might happen between Millie and Amer, with how slowly obsessed they become with each other, Cruz drives a hard wedge to that notion. Instead, the vision of Amer spirals the Marcel family, particularly Tommy. It is not easy to up, nearly 20 octaves, the emotional rawness of a character within, technically, 60 minutes. Yet, it is a testament to Podrao and Trigueros’ talent, as actors, to keep enough stability, in their impassioned scenes, as they confront one of the most important and rousingly popular topics in our current culture: sexual assault.

Like I said, Exquisita Agonia is a heavy play. Yet, there are a lot of laughs and prompters of enlightening thoughts. Cruz’s words on love could move a rock to bleed. He fleshes this emotion, and creates characters that embody the best and worst of it. Raul Abrego and Manuel Da Silva further the show with a gorgeous, crisp set that uses a wall of lights to hue over the heartbreak of bereavement, which is the play’s ultimate theme. What was and could have been are the two parents of grief, and both drive the Marcel family to brink of insanity so that they can, eventually, get to healing. Exquisita Agonia plays at the Repertorio Espanol; located at 138 E 27th St, New York. The show is two hours with a 15 minutes intermission, and plays till August 3. Click Here To Buy Tickets