By Nicole D. McGovern
The families of a Puerto Rican woman and an African American Muslim man will battle out their differences in the Curry Student Student Ballroom on Thursday at 6 p.m.
“Before they get married they need their feuding families to get along and bless their union,” said Paola Mesadieu, a middler international affairs and political science major of the play.
Organized by The Latin American Student Organization (LASO), My Big Fat Latino Culture Show, was written, directed and will be performed by students.
“One of the major things about it is that it’s not only going to be funny and let students get creative, but it shows race relations and how we interact with one another,” said Sergio Marrero, president of LASO. “It talks about the two different cultures and the issues that they face while coming together.”
The main couple confronts and must deal with obstacles, biased opinions and prejudices received from their family and friends. The families believe the marriage will not work because they are from two different backgrounds, said Yartiza Betancourt, a sophomore theatre and psychology major.
“It’s going to be compared to the movie ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding,'” said Betancourt, who plays the soon-to-be bride. “The families don’t get along because of cultural differences.”
The production will consist of a series of humorous skits coinciding with different performances, all the while touching on significant subject matters.
“It creates an environment where people are having fun while getting educated,” Marrero said. “It’s a creative and unique story.”
The team leaders of the show, Desiree Lopez, a junior economics major, and Mesadieu have worked on the show since December.
Lopez said the show explores the many similarities between different cultures.
“A lot of families are old school. They have this idea where they want you to stick with your own race because of differences,” Lopez said. “Most races have more commonalities than they do differences.”
LASO hopes the show will get people thinking about the plot and issues at hand.
“We’re hoping that it touches upon issues not many individuals talk about, but many live through, or know people going through them,” Mesadieu said. “Many couples are in love, but some people just can’t see past skin color; they can’t see past the differences.”
