I Saw Cándido at the Home Depot: A Review of Tortilla Curtain

Abstract

This essay examines Matthew Spangler's play Tortilla Curtain (based on the novel by T. C. Boyle) as directed by Sam Woodhouse and presented by the San Diego Repertory Theatre. The discussion focuses on the use of stereotypes—Latina/o stereotypes, in general, and specifically Mexican immigrant stereotypes—within the narrative, as well as the complicated social history of whitening in Latin America inadvertently raised by the casting of a light-skinned Latina as a lead character. The authors call upon the theatre company and director to delve further into the complicated factors that impact immigration rather than rely on stereotypes.