First Stage’s Thoughtful, Engaging Immigration Drama

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Photo by Paul Ruffolo

Esperanza Rising at First Stage - Ashley Marie Rodriguez and Isabel Scardino

Ashley Marie Rodriguez (left) and Isabel Scardino (right) in ESPERANZARISING. First Stage, 2025.

First Stage examines the struggles of Latin American immigrants to the U.S. in a touching adaptation of Pam Muñoz Ryan’s 2000 children’s book Esperanza Rising. Playwright Alvaro Saar Rios has built an impressively complicated adaptation of the children’s book that engages both adult and child actors in a sweeping coming-of-age drama. Ashley Marie Rodriguez shows considerable strength as the mother of a young girl who is forced to flee wealth in tumultuous 1930s Mexico in favor of stability and relative poverty in the U.S.

Child actors play Esperanza and her friends as they are forced to make the arduous transition from life on one side of the border to life on the other side. Esperanza learns a lot about life as she finds herself caught-up in labor concerns and the difficulties of making a living with her family as an impoverished immigrant. A pair of child actors serve as narrators who help move the plot with vibrant enthusiasm that tends to lighten some of the darker edges of the story.

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Photo by Paul Ruffolo

Esperanza Rising at First Stage - Laura Crotte and David Flores

Laura Crotte (left) and David Flores in ESPERANZA RISING. First Stage,2025.

There is a great deal of distance to cover in the course of the play visually. From wealth in Mexico to poverty in the U.S., the visual reality of Esperanza’s world is brought to the stage with meaningful little props an scenery. Scenic designer Lisa Schlenker’s set includes a beautifully fragmented painting on the floor of the stage. Costume designer Jazmin Aurora Medina has done an outstanding job of bringinng the cultural feel of 1930s Mexico to the stage with bright splashes of color. Director Michelle Lopez-Rios does an admirable job of moving a very complicated and intricate comng-of-age story through a cozy, little stage in the course of a deeply engaging 75 minutes.

First Stage’s world premiere production of Esperanza Rising continues through May 18 at Todd Wehr Theater in the Marcus Performing Arts Center. For more information, visit First Stage online.