Skip to main content Skip to footer site map

Review: BEASTGIRL Holds Audiences Spellbound at the Kennedy Center's Studio K

BWW Review: BEASTGIRL Enchants at the Kennedy Center

Review: BEASTGIRL Holds Audiences Spellbound at the Kennedy Center's Studio K

Beastgirl, a captivating new musical centered around three first-generation Dominican-American sisters as they examine the historical and mythological roots that underline their lives, begins its world premiere at the Kennedy Center's Studio K this month. The story, written by C. Quintana, is based on a chapbook of folkloric poems titled Beastgirl and Other Origin Myths by New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo. Directed by Rebecca Aparicio and featuring music by Janelle Lawrence, Acevedo's poems truly come alive in Beastgirl's funny and moving tale of sisterhood, ancestry, and the myths we claim for ourselves.

The story takes place on the rooftop of the Amsterdam Avenue apartment complex in New York City, where three sisters-Cami (Jenni Gil), Eji (Edima Essien), and Heketi (Mikaela Secada)-meet in the middle of the night to perform a ritual to summon their ancestors. Cami, the oldest, directs her sisters as they light candles, set offerings on an altar, sprinkle salt around the rooftop's edges, and declare their names for the ancestors to hear. The sisters then turn to the audience and ask everyone in attendance to declare their names too.

Yes, this is a show where audience participation is often expected, but please don't let that scare you off. In Beastgirl, the audience is a part of the action. Studio K has been arranged so that a half-moon of risers surrounds the front of the stage. The stage itself has been skilfully designed by Misha Kachman to look like an apartment rooftop a few hours after Dominican Day festivities have wound down, and flyers inviting apartment residents to meet up on the rooftop at midnight are scattered throughout the risers. We are here not just as audience members, witnessing the magic on stage, but as community members, readily participants in the sisters' search for their ancestors.

Review: BEASTGIRL Holds Audiences Spellbound at the Kennedy Center's Studio K
From left to right: Mikaela Secada (Heketi), Edima Essien (Eji), and Jenni Gil (Cami) in Beastgirl. Photo by Yassine El Mansouri.

"We have forgotten all our sacred monsters," Cami states, initiating the sisters' first incantation (the first poem in Acevedo's collection), the story of La Ciguapa, a figure of Dominican folklore who the sisters name the original beastgirl. This is the audience's first taste of how wonderfully Beastgirl's creative team brings Acevado's poems to life. Accompanied by music playing from a simple setup of a laptop and controller, Cami recounts the many myths surrounding La Ciguapa. She chants and sings the lines of Acevedo's poem and Heketi and Eji's voices chime in the background to accent certain phrases. Together, the sisters dance, stomp, and clap in time with the incantation's rhythm.

The first poem/incantation ends, and the sisters wait for their ancestors to appear. When none does, they are thrown into self-doubt, questioning why they haven't ever had success with the ritual, and if it's worth continuing to try. They wonder aloud if their ritual won't work because they aren't in the Dominican Republic; if the physical distance from their roots also severs any spiritual closeness they may have with their ancestors. But Cami, Eji, and Heketi are determined.

As playwright C. Quintana says in the press release, "This musical does not shy away from what's difficult; the sisters hit challenging topics head on to create space for joy and healing." As they continue with the ritual, they search through the ancestry that makes them who they are and that guides them to who they want to become-a lineage of beastgirls like them who have had to "walk the world as 'beastly' beings."

On this rooftop, they offer up their own traumas and those that have been passed down through generations, from the women of the Yoruba tribe to the final cacique of the Taíno people to their own mother. Each new step in the ritual brings them nearer to the ancestors they invoke, strengthening not only the spell but the girls' confidence in themselves and the futures they want to create.

The girls consider the impacts of enslavement, colonialism, immigration, sexism, racism, colorism, and much more. As Cami says later in the show, they want to understand why life seems so much harder on people like them-Afro-Latinos, Dominican-Americans, beastgirls-and how they can carry their heritage with them as they go forth in this world. "Mami enséñame, teach me all of your ways," they sing at one point. "Like how the past calls for me; Mami teach me."

Lines from Acevedo's poems provide the script for the sisters' ritual. As performed by Gil, Essien, and Secada, Acevedo's poems become summoning spells, schoolyard chants, proclamations, prayers, and confessions. Beastgirl gives such reverent and inspired life to these poems and, in turn, the poems provide an incredible depth and profoundness to the script.

By the final invocation, a powerful and emotional call out to Anacaona, the final Taíno cacique, it feels like you've accessed something sacred and loving alongside the three sisters. When Brittani McNeill appears singing as Egun on stage, it's hard to not let your emotions get the best of you--both the cast and audience members were wiping away tears by the end of Saturday night's performance. Beastgirl is a magical show. Don't miss your chance to see it.


Beastgirl appears at the Kennedy Center's Studio K in the REACH until April 22, 2022. Get your tickets here. The run time is approximately one hour.

Photo Credit: Yassine El Mansouri/Elman Studios



Photos: First Look At Fords Theatres SHOUT SISTER SHOUT! Photo
The Ford's Theatre 2022-2023 season continues with SHOUT SISTER SHOUT! by Cheryl L. West, based off the biography by Gayle F. Wald, production supervised by Sheldon Epps and directed by Kenneth L. Roberson. Check out first look photos below!

SINGIN IN THE RAIN & More Lead Washington DCs April 2023 Top Picks Photo
Washington, DC is never lacking outstanding theatre, whether epic Broadway shows, engrossing dramas or bold fringe offerings. BroadwayWorld is rounding up our top recommended theatre every month. April 2023's top picks include Singin' in the Rain, Angels in America Part One, Pacific Overtures, and more.

Washington National Names 2023-2024 Cafritz Young Artists Photo
Washington National Opera has announced the appointment of the 2023–2024 Cafritz Young Artists.

Photos: Adam Sandler Honored at 24th Annual Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American H Photo
See photos from the 24th annual Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor honoring Adam Sandler.


From This Author - Morgan Musselman

Morgan Musselman is a writer/reader living in Washington, DC. After receiving her B.A. in English Literature from the University of Iowa, Morgan moved to DC and began working at a local nonprofit. ... (read more about this author)


Review: Samuel Beckett's ENDGAME at the Washington Stage GuildReview: Samuel Beckett's ENDGAME at the Washington Stage Guild
February 1, 2023

Now through February 19, the Washington Stage Guild presents Samuel Beckett’s eerie and philosophical single-act tragicomedy, ENDGAME, directed by Alan Wade. Bill Largess, Matty Griffiths, David Bryan Jackson, and Rosemary Regan captivate audiences as their characters grapple with existence within a desolate post-apocalyptic world.

Review: SNOW MAIDEN Brings Magic to Life at Synetic TheaterReview: SNOW MAIDEN Brings Magic to Life at Synetic Theater
December 5, 2022

Synetic Theater’s holiday production, Snow Maiden, delivers a dose of whimsy to the local theater scene this December. Created by Helen-Hayes Award-winning choreographer and Synetic Co-Founder Irina Tsikurishvili, Snow Maiden utilizes the Synetic’s signature style to tell a new interpretation of the classic 19th-century story.

Review: MY BODY NO CHOICE Rallies Cries of Resistance at Arena StageReview: MY BODY NO CHOICE Rallies Cries of Resistance at Arena Stage
October 22, 2022

My Body No Choice is a timely reminder that speaking one’s truth is a powerful means of political resistance.

Review: OUR BLACK DEATH by Taffety Punk Battles for Love at the End of the WorldReview: OUR BLACK DEATH by Taffety Punk Battles for Love at the End of the World
September 25, 2022

Taffety Punk returns to the stage in full force with their production of Our Black Death: Plagues, Turnips, and Other Romantic Gestures, directed by Marcus Kyd is all at once hilarious, shocking, and bittersweet in its exploration of love during a plague.

Review: AMERICAN PROPHET: FREDERICK DOUGLASS IN HIS OWN WORDS Premieres at Arena StageReview: AMERICAN PROPHET: FREDERICK DOUGLASS IN HIS OWN WORDS Premieres at Arena Stage
July 30, 2022

A provocative and inspiring new musical, AMERICAN PROPHET: FREDERICK DOUGLASS IN HIS OWN WORDS, premieres at Arena Stage now through August 28th.