"Anna In The Tropics" to close 22 Feb 2004 at the Royale Theatre.

Fri 6 Feb 2004 "Anna In The Tropics" to close 22 Feb 2004 at the Royale Theatre. Anna In The Tropics, by Nilo Cruz , is to close Sun 22 Feb 2004 at the Royale Theatre. The production will have played 15 previews and 113 regular performances. The play opened opened 16 Nov 2003, following previews from 4 Nov 2003. Directed by Emily Mann, the play received reasonable notices from the popular press: BEN BRENTLEY of the NEW YORK TIMES says �Earnestly poetic play.� CLIVE BARNES of NEW YORK POST says �Moderately fascinating play.� HOWARD KISSEL of NEW YORK DAILY NEWS says �Too often, however, the production falls short of its poetic images.� ELYSA GARDNER of USA TODAY says �Most of what ensues is predictable, despite a few twists. � MICHAEL SOMMERS of STAR-LEDGER says "Graceful romance fulfills all expectations." MICHAEL KUCHWARA of ASSOCIATED PRESS says "A ripe, erotically charged production, beautifully acted" CHRISTINE DOLEN of THe MIAMI HERALD says "Vibrant" Anna In The Tropics features Jimmy Smits, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Priscilla Lopez, John Ortiz, Vanessa Aspillaga, Victor Argo, David Zayas Set in 1929 in a Cuban-American cigar factory where cigars are still rolled by hand and 'lectors' are employed to educate and entertain the workers. The arrival of a new lector is a cause for celebration, but when he begins to read aloud from Anna Karenina, he unwittingly becomes a catalyst in the lives of his avid listeners, for whom Tolstoy, the tropics, and the American dream prove a volatile combination.