26 Miles

by Quiara Alegría Hudes

The custody battle left them estranged for eight years. The road trip destination is two thousand miles across the country. The mother's skin is brown, the teenage daughter's, white. So what if reality's nipping at their heels? This reunited pair runs fast and furious from the secrets in their lives, hunting valuable antiques, chasing arctic explorers, and getting lost in Wyoming's wilderness.

“Charming, spunky, and ultimately heart-rending… The car trip from Paoli, PA, to Yellowstone Park is transforming and restorative." —NY Times.

"Irresistible family drama… The play's greatest triumph is Beatriz… Frantic, foolish and unapologetically direct, Beatriz is one of the most original and refreshing matriarchs to come to any stage in a long, long time." —Denver Post.

Genres: Plays, Drama

58 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2011

About the author

Quiara Alegría Hudes is a writer, barrio feminist, and native of West Philly, U.S.A. Hailed for her work’s exuberance, intellectual rigor, and rich imagination, her plays and musicals have been performed around the world. They include a Pulitzer-winning drama, Water By the Spoonful, and a Tony-winning Broadway musical, In the Heights (co-authored with Lin-Manuel Miranda). Her screenplay adaptation of In the Heights opens in movie theaters nationwide this June.

Along with her cousin and a dedicated circle of volunteers, Hudes founded and runs Emancipated Stories, a collection of pages written by people who have been or remain incarcerated.

Reviews

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

A play that feels more like flying.

[Jack Reynolds · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I did enjoy Olivia and Beatriz's dynamic as they navigated an impromptu road trip, Hudes doesn't go as deep into her characters as she has in the other work I've read from her. There are some effective reveals in the back half of the play that help with this, but it also feels like the reader/viewer is supposed to fill in the details on Aaron and Manuel themselves. The insight into their characters doesn't feel as broad as the women. It feels disconnected as a whole. Olivia and Beatriz's emotional journeys are important, yet Hudes didn't build her supporting players with the same touch. It made the ending lack tighter closure for me.

[Zachary Pareizs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely, lovely, lovely read!

[☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

dímelo