Everything you need to know about ‘Real Women Have Curves’ on Broadway

The new musical about a young woman chasing her dreams while trying to stay united with her family is based on a play and its hit HBO film adaptation.

Coming-of-age story ahead! The new Broadway musical Real Women Have Curves follows a young woman working in a garment factory in late 1980s Los Angeles. Her dreams of going away to college clash with her traditional mother’s expectations.

Beginning performances April 1 at the James Earl Jones Theatre, the show is based on a 1990 play that became a hit 2002 HBO movie. Two decades later, the story of empowerment as well as the immigrant experience at the heart of this musical couldn’t be more timely.

The show arrives in New York following a run at the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 2023. For an uplifting reminder about what it takes to stitch together the life you want, see Real Women Have Curves — learn more about the show below!

Get Real Women Have Curves tickets now.

What is Real Women Have Curves about?

In Real Women Have Curves, 18-year-old Ana Garcia struggles with cultural expectations, self-image, and her desire to go to college. She gets accepted into Columbia University in New York, but going would mean leaving behind her family in L.A., who need her help to keep their garment factory afloat.

As Ana navigates family pressures and her own ambitions, she learns to embrace her body, her independence, and her own path toward empowerment.

Where is Real Women Have Curves playing?

Real Women Have Curves plays at the James Earl Jones Theatre, located at 138 West 48th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues.

Formerly called the Cort Theatre, the venue opened in 1912. It was named after John Cort, an American impresario. In 2022, following renovations, the theatre was named for Tony, Emmy, and Grammy Award winner James Earl Jones.

Recent productions at the theatre include Left on Tenth, The Heart of Rock and Roll, and Gutenberg! The Musical!

How long is Real Women Have Curves on Broadway?

Real Women Have Curves on Broadway hasn't begun yet, but the regional production ran 2 hours and 40 minutes. The typical duration for a Broadway musical is between 90 minutes and 3 hours and may include a 15-minute intermission.

This article will be updated with the run time for Real Women Have Curves on Broadway when this information is available.

What days is Real Women Have Curves playing?

Real Women Have Curves plays Tuesday through Sunday, with two performances on Wednesdays and Saturdays and no performances on Mondays.

This schedule is subject to one-off changes, particularly during early performances or around holidays. To view the complete performance calendar, visit the Real Women Have Curves page.

When did the Real Women Have Curves musical premiere?

Real Women Have Curves will debut on April 1, 2025 at Broadway’s James Earl Jones Theatre. It made its world premiere at A.R.T. in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in December 2023.

Previously, the Real Women Have Curves play by Josefina López, on which the musical is based, premiered in 1990. The HBO film adaptation premiered in 2002.

Who wrote the Real Women Have Curves musical?

Real Women Have Curves is based on the same-named 1990 play by Josefina López and the 2002 HBO screenplay by López and George LaVoo. The musical features a book by Lisa Loomer, with additional material by Nell Benjamin. The music and lyrics are Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez.

Huerta is a Grammy Award-winning member of the Mexican pop duo Jesse & Joy. Velez wrote music and lyrics for a 2023 Public Theater production of The Tempest. Loomer is known for her play The Waiting Room and for co-writing the screenplay for Girl, Interrupted. Benjamin’s previous Broadway credits include Mean Girls and Legally Blonde.

Real Women Have Curves characters

Set in East L.A. in the late 1980s, the Real Women Have Curves musical comes to life in and around the Garcia Sewing Factory. Here’s a list of the key characters.

• Ana: The youngest shop employer who yearns to spread her wings and go off to college at Columbia University in New York City.
• Carmen: A concerned mother who believes her daughter Ana’s dreams are unrealistic.
• Estela: Ana’s sister who’s the boss at the family sewing business.
• Raúl: Ana’s father who paints houses for a living.
• Pancha, Itzel, Rosali, Prima Fulvia, and Prima Flaca: Workers at the dress business.
• Henry: Ana’s romantic interest.

Real Women Have Curves songs

The Real Women Have Curves musical is threaded with pop and Latin rhythms and melodies. The below song list is from the A.R.T. production and is subject to change for the Broadway run; this article will be updated with any changes made after performances begin.

Act 1

• "Aylarala"
• "Make It Work"
• "Blood Thicker Than Mole"
• "Flying Away"
• "Jugglin'"
• "Always On The Run"
• "If I Were A Bird"
• "Drivin' Next To You"
• "Oye Muchacha"

Act 2

• "Done With It All"
• "Adios Andres"
• "Siempre Mi Gente"
• "Be A Gringa"
• "Curves"
• "Doin' It Anyway"
• "Life Is Like A Dance"
• "Flying Away (reprise)"
• "Finishing The Dresses"
• "Always On The Run (reprise)"
• "I Got It Wrong"

What awards has Real Women Have Curves won?

The Real Women Have Curves musical premieres on Broadway in April 2025, so it hasn’t received any awards yet. The show will be in the running for the 2024-25 season’s New York awards, including Tony Awards.

In 2002, however, the non-musical Real Women Have Curves film received multiple awards upon its premiere. Its accolades include the Audience Award for best dramatic film and the Special Jury Prize for acting at the Sundance Film Festival; the Humanitas Prize; the Imagen Award; and Special Recognition by the National Board of Review.

Major productions of Real Women Have Curves

The Real Women Have Curves musical has only had a few major productions thus far, but the play that serves as its source material has been seen all across the country over the past 30-plus years. Here are the major iterations of Real Women Have Curves on stage and screen.

• 1990 play premiere: Josefina López's play Real Women Have Curves, on which the musical is based, premieres at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts in San Francisco.
• 2002 film premiere: The play gets adapted into a feature film starring America Ferrera.
• 2023 musical world premiere: The Real Women Have Curves debuts at American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts, starting in December 2023. Sergio Trujillo directs and choreographs.
• 2025 Broadway premiere: Real Women Have Curves makes its Broadway debut on April 1, 2025 with Tatianna Córdoba in her Broadway debut as Ana and Justina Machado as Carmen. Machado and several other supporting cast members reprise their A.R.T. roles.

Onscreen adaptations of Real Women Have Curves

The Real Women Have Curves musical hasn’t received a screen adaptation, but a version of its story has been told on screen. The musical is based in part on the 2002 HBO film Real Women Have Curves, which marked America Ferrera’s movie debut.

Fun facts about Real Women Have Curves

This new Broadway musical tells an uplifting story about dreaming big while juggling serious issues of body image and cultural prejudice. Learn more about the show, including a full-circle moment for an actor in the show.

• Ana Garcia is 18 years old. Josefina López was the same age when she started writing the semi-autobiographical play that would become a movie and, now, a Broadway musical.
• Justina Machado, who plays Carmen on Broadway, portrayed Ana in a 1993 production of the Real Women Have Curves play in Chicago.
• Ana is considered a role model of girl power because she speaks her mind about women’s strength.
• The title carries a double meaning. It’s about body positivity and the fact that life comes with unexpected curveballs.
• A dozen actors make their Broadway debuts in Real Women Have Curves.

Get tickets to Real Women Have Curves on Broadway

Real Women Have Curves explores literal and figurative curves that come with life, and its equally poignant and uplifting story is one people from various backgrounds can relate to.

Get Real Women Have Curves tickets now.