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Writer, director and producer Odalys Nanín’s latest production, “Naked in the Tropics”, launched this past weekend at the Macha Theatre in West Hollywood. The Macha Theatre is a non-profit theatre established in 2000 “in order to build social, cultural, and artistic bridges between the straight an gay communities of various ethnicities and provide the LGBTI community a sense of belonging.”
“Naked in the Tropics” is described as “a comedy with music” yet it would be more  accurate to say that it is a production still in its incubus and prematurely birthed onto the stage. The resulting amalgamation is a collection of odds and ends including a musical number about the pains of childbirth, a modern overly sexual dance between two men dressed as a lion and his prey, a court case involving a meth addict and his immigration status, and the comedic presence of a drag queen with looks reminiscent of the late Katharine Hepburn.
Yet out of all the mishmash is the graceful elegance of Natalie Salins as Isis who illuminates the stage with her sensual appearance and transportive voice. Castille Landon’s powerful voice, which commands a much larger venue, overtook the 99-seat theatre at times as she skirted her way around stage as the young pregnant Linda. It was after a brief intermission that the play really began to feel like a true production. Carey Embry’s whimsical and hysterically funny character Flo enlivened the production countered by Jean St. James as the no-nonsense Judge Rosse Goldzilla. Add to that Odalys Nanín as Alicia, the heart-torn lesbian attorney, and Gabrielle Abitol’s fiery and dynamic role of Alicia’s ex-lover Carmen and somehow everything seemed to mesh into a whole and ignite the stage.
By the end of the production, “Naked in the Tropics” left one wishing for a better outcome given that the Macha Theatre supports local businesses in the West Hollywood area and the LGBTI community.
“Naked in the Tropics” continues through February 21st at The Macha Theatre, 1107 N. Kings Road, in West Hollywood. For reservations call (323)960-1057. www.machatheatre.org.
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