The last play of the year at 1st Stage, Laughs in Spanish, directed by Elena Velasco (she/ella), is a rollicking, code-switching, witchy, and wonderful 90 minutes of fun. Over-the-top diva matriarch Estella (Fran Tapia) is the play’s heart and soul. The fun begins when the Hollywood movie star unexpectedly whisks into Miami for Art Basel, the most monied and prestigious art happening, and into her daughter’s gallery, which should be having its biggest show of the year — except the art has been stolen. Fran Tapia (Estella) in ‘Laughs in Spanish.’ Photo by Teresa Castracane Photography. This leads to some soul-searching and comic eruptions among the five-person ensemble. The gallery owner, Estella’s only daughter, Mariana (Pepin, they/he/she), is beside herself. Her intern, Carolina, an MFA student (a delightful Lenny Mendez), is all too ready to step in with her own art. Her boyfriend, Juan (Camilo Linares, he/him), a policeman, is investigating the crime — and with perfect soulful, clueless side-kick comic timing, steals almost every scene he’s in. But the essence of this comedy is female and witchy. Estella has too often been relegated to playing stereotyped cleaning women, though with her big personality, she should be a star. This is her moment. In key dramatic scenes with her daughter, who has felt distanced and abandoned by her mother, Estella is called a bruja, a witch. It’s in the scenes between mother and daughter that we see the power of both women (and these two actors). The daughter’s emotional depth, breadth, and pain are revealed as are the mother’s. In comedy, there is always tragedy. And there is also love. A sweet love story unfolds between the hard-charging Mariana and Estella’s assistant, Jenny, played by a sure-fired Laura Artesi. TOP: Lenny Mendez (Carolina), Camilo Linares (Juan), and Pepin (Mariana); ABOVE: Pepin (Mariana) and Laura Artesi (Jenny), in ‘Laughs in Spanish.’ Photos by Teresa Castracane Photography. Ultimately, the witchy is centerstage. And it’s brought to life in Estella’s surreal, funny, and deeply moving monologue, when the play has its most thrilling moment. A nod to the scenic design, especially in this incantatory monologue, should go to Jessica Alexandra Cancino. The play by Alexis Sheer, which won the Kennedy Center’s Harold & Mimi Steinberg Award, gives a big nod to the Jewish Columbian roots of this native-born Miami playwright. A key part of the play’s fun — and social satire — is how the characters all code-switch and move from the white world and its cadences and accents to their own. However, this is a comedy, and the humor is joyful, one of the connections gained — and missed, of true identities and motives revealed, and of the long-lasting and endearing love of a mother and daughter for one another rediscovered and celebrated. The major issues and conflicts of the day, of identity and racism, are skimmed over and left for another play to delve into. Family and love are the order of the day. The Laughs in Spanish are familial, uncontained, and insistingly joyful. Lastly, the sound design by Tosin Olufolabi adds perfectly to the Miami Latin vibe of the show, and when the ensemble breaks out into a salsa at the end of the show, and they urge the audience to break in and dance too, most of us, this reviewer included, are eagerly awkward but ready to join in the fun. Running Time: 90 minutes, no intermission. Laughs in Spanish plays through December 29, 2024 (Thursdays at 7:30 pm, Fridays at 7:30 pm, Saturdays at 2 pm and 7:30 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm), at 1st Stage, located at 1524 Spring Hill Road, Tysons, VA. Purchase tickets ($55 for general admission, with limited tickets for $25 and $40 at each performance) by calling the box office at 703-854-1856, going online, or in person before each performance. Select performances are open-captioned and/or audio-described. Open seating. The playbill for Laughs in Spanish is online here. Laughs in Spanish is performed in English con un poquito de español. COVID Safety: 1st Stage is now a mask-optional space with select mask-required performances offered for each show. See 1st Stage’s complete COVID Safety Information here.