by Ben Gunter<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Bohemian Babushka \u2013 BB for short \u2013 is a cross-cultural sensation. She is the Cuban-American creation of Florida\u2019s own Sonia Guerra, whose wry, wise insights into what it means to be a Hispanic woman living in an Anglo world have won her more than 30,000 followers on \u201cFeybu,\u201d \u201cIGrammy,\u201d and \u201cTweety.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can meet her everywhere. In addition to her monthly column in Conexi\u00f3n <\/em>and her blog \u201cBabushka\u2019s Baile,\u201d BB has been known to appear \u2013 cloche hat on her head, iridescent-blue eyeshadow on her eyelids, and \u201cJU SO FONI!!!\u201d on her lips \u2013 at conventions in Miami (she has an international following at Hispanicize), tourism conferences in Orlando, historical reenactments in St. Augustine, press conferences in Tallahassee, and tour buses guiding folks through a pilgrimage to Hispanic heritage sites statewide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This month, Babushka is making a new departure. She is Zooming into 1615, starring in TWAM Virtual\u2019s Ark of Wonders<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A new translation of a snappy satire that was written in Spanish by Miguel de Cervantes just over 400 years ago, Ark of Wonders<\/em> tells the juicy story of what happens when a tiny troupe of actors arrive in a little country town on the same day that the local bigwigs are celebrating a high-society wedding. The actors sell the bigwigs one performance of \u201cmiraculous and spectacular sights\u201d for the wedding reception \u2013 sights that only people whose bloodlines are perfectly pure and whose parents were properly married will be able to see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Babushka plays Chirinos in the Ark of Wonders<\/em>, the \u201cautora\u201d who takes care of business for the actors who dream up the show. As Chirinos, Babushka sells the town council on the idea of buying a performance of this magically exclusive play, collects payment for the performance in advance, and produces most of the wonders that the bigwigs \u201csee,\u201d ranging from a charging bull fresh from Salamanca, to a \u201cmischief of mice\u201d right off of Noah\u2019s ark, \u201ctwo dozen raging lions and huge, fanged bears,\u201d and a dancing lady from the holy land, \u201cthe one they call Herodias, whose dancing placed the head of John the Baptist on a plate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Theater with a Mission (TWAM) selected Ark of Wonders<\/em> for TWAM Virtual because the play offers a vibrant invitation to visit Spanish La Florida. By bringing us face to face with how our Spanish-speaking ancestors laughed and worried about purity in our bloodlines, security in our status, and living up to what the neighbors think, Cervantes\u2019 sparkling satire functions like a time machine. This half-hour play, breezy as a BB blogpost, tells us secrets about our past that the history books miss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TWAM asked BB to play Chirinos because she is \u201ca human shot of espresso\u201d who is completely \u201cupbeat but keeping it real.\u201d Her patented sense of fun with a serious purpose is perfect for the role. Don\u2019t miss Bohemian Babushka\u2019s history-making performance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n