About the Show

Delves deep into the makings of an immigrant family. Presented both in person and live streamed!

Inspirited with the tradition of Umbanda ritual, the music of Gloria Estefan, Cher, and Maria Bethânia, "Ni Mi Madre" invites the audience into the tumultuous relationship between Bete (a larger-than-life Brazilian woman who swears that if it weren’t for Madonna, Meryl Streep, and Angelina Jolie she would have been the “It” thing) and her queer son. She grapples with the secrets that tear her and her son apart, the unbidden memories of her estranged mother, and the lineage that binds them all together. "Ni Mi Madre" explores the intersection between queerness and Latinidad; examines gender, sexuality, family, citizenship, transculturation, identity; and lays bare the secrets, memories, fears, and celebrations of being an immigrant and first-generation American.

Critic Reviews (4)

"What marks this play as extraordinary...is its ease with emotional contradiction and discomfort, its willingness to let filial affection persist despite a cleareyed acknowledgment of parental damage done."
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"This one- person show is over-the-top, entertaining, and enlightening telling of a free-spirit who lived her life exactly as she wanted to and of how she inspired her children to also live their lives to the fullest."
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'The hour-long monologue is more complex than just a comic portrait, although it’s certainly funny. It’s threaded through with subtly poignant stories illustrating issues of race, class, nationality and gender. It’s also something of an autobiography, the story of a queer boy’s coming of age, seen through the eyes of his mother, who is not always sympathetic."
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"There is a fine line in solo theater between entertainment and self-indulgence, and Gambini allows Soria to samba right up to that line without crossing over."
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Cast and creative team

Rattlestick Playwrights Theater