They Prepare a Play Inspired by Juana Bacallao

August 5, 2025

“The Name of Juana” is the provisional title of the work that will bring to the stage the life of the incomparable Cuban diva Juana Bacallao, a production that will arrive under the direction of Osvaldo Doimeadiós and with Monse Duany assuming the leading role.

According to information exclusively reported by the non-state media Café Fuerte, the spectacle invites a journey from Juana's humble beginnings to her consecration as an emblem of entertainment on the Island.

Inspired by the book Juana la Cubana. Juana Bacallao: Interviews and Testimonies (2025) by writer and producer Lázaro Caballero Aranzola, this creation eschews conventional biography to embrace "that screen of fantasy that the artist invents for themselves, with that mask that she tried to always wear and that is common to all artists," in the words of Doimeadiós himself when speaking to the aforementioned media.

The result will be a fiction grounded in real experiences, seasoned with scenic symbols that underscore Juana's trajectory as a Black and poor woman who, against all odds, rose to become an icon of Cuban entertainment.

In this sense, the renowned Cuban actor and director elaborated that "it is not a biography, it is a work inspired by Juana's life based on Lázaro Caballero's book and the anecdotes collected in the text. All of this served as inspiration for us to delve into aspects of Juana's reality: to see how a poor and Black woman asserted herself, and how she managed to reach the center of the spectacle, the center of society and build such a long career."

The production plays its cards with a first-rate cast: Monse Duany, one of the most versatile faces of contemporary Cuban theater, will take on the challenge of bringing the unforgettable artist to life.

“Recently they asked me if I liked playing complex characters, both in theater and in television and film. The difficult characters or the strongest characters that have come my way, I was not the one who chose them, those characters chose me first,” the actress told Café Fuerte.

The proposal is complemented by original music by Swiss composer Jean Bruno JB Meier, costumes by Angolan Ángela Kadima and the talent of Brazilian DJ Alessandra Moura.

Doimeadiós acknowledges that both the pages of Caballero's book and conversations with Monse Duany gave him that "final push" to crystallize this piece that celebrates Juana's legacy with a fresh look toward the future.

“This is a tribute to her, to a Black woman, poor, who knew how to fight, despite everything,” Duany concluded, confident that, if everything goes as planned, tribute will be paid as deserved to one of Cuba's greats: 'Juana La Cubana'.