Running time: 1 hour and 20 minutes. No intermission
Group rates available
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Recommended for all audiences

In this comedy of honor, Ana Caro criticizes the customs of her era and the position of women in the social order while ridiculing through parody the erotic myth of Don Juan.

The protagonist, Leonor, seeks to recover her lost honor against Don Juan who made a false promise of marriage while seducing her. To revenge herself, Leonor dresses in male attire (a common technique in Spanish Golden Age Theatre), calls herself Leonardo, and pretends to be a rival suitor for her hand. Don Juan has already moved to seduce the Duchess Estela, who in turn falls in love with “Leonardo.” After a series of deceits and much ado, Leonor denounces Don Juan and regains her honor by forcing him into marriage with her. Although a typical finale for a 17th century Spanish play, the unconventional aspect is that a woman has solved her own misfortune without the help of a man.

Performed in Spanish with English subtitles via Simultext® In-Seat Captioning System. By request for matinee performances.

Repertorio Español, in celebrating its 50th anniversary Off-Broadway season, is giving its audiences a rare treasure — a 375-year-old treasure from Spain’s Golden Era. The play Valor, agravio y mujer (Courage, Betrayal and a Woman Scorned), written by Ana Caro Mallén de Soto, pokes fun at the Don Juan myth and its power — or lack thereof — over a woman’s destiny. We sat down with director Leyma López and lead actress Zulema Clares to gain insight into the play and its rather surprising relevance today. Leyma, Valor, agravio y mujer is described as a “comedy of honor.” Describe the play and why you chose this play, now 375 years after Ana Caro wrote it. How is it timely to people nowadays? Leyma López: Valor, agravio y mujer (Courage, Betrayal and a Woman Scorned) talks about honor, love and daring, the situation of women, revenge, among other topics of that time. Honor is one of the most popular themes on the Golden Age theatre. The heroine in this story pursues the character of Don Juan, who dishonored her, motivated by his abandonment. She takes an unknown path, usually dominated by men, and decides to wear male cloths to show, as an individual, that she has courage, intellige …Read more