[AD – PR invite*]
★★★★★
Following a sell-out run in 2023, ‘My Uncle Is Not Pablo Escobar’ recently returned to Brixton House for 4 weeks of performances. Co-created by Valentina Andrade, Elizabeth Alvarado, Lucy Wray, Tommy Ross-Williams and Joana Nastari, this play sees a group of four Latinx women from South London go undercover to expose a large bank and reveal a scandal with ties to Latin American cartels. Directed by Lucy Wray and Tommy Ross-Williams and created in collaboration with arts producing company The Hale, this thoughtful piece of theatre puts courageous British-Latinx women at the centre of the story and shares their bravery in a modern, thrilling and highly entertaining format. Captioned in English, Spanish and Portuguese and offering a limited number of £5 tickets to the Latinx community, Brixton House has clearly thought about accessibility and representation with this run, and are focusing on the community at the heart of the story.
Show format and themes
The 80-minute structure is incredibly well curated, with plenty of time allocated for establishing the four characters, their back stories, the undercover mission itself and also discussing the wider impact of the topics covered. The four women: Lucia (Cecilia Alfonso-Eaton), Catalina (Lorena Andrea), Alejandra (Yanexi Enriquez) and Honey (Nathaly Sabino), meet through a cleaning job, which sees three of them clean the offices of a bank in the early hours. With the involvement of investigative journalist Catalina, relationships that began as workplace chatter turn into something so much more impactful and sees the women take significant risks.
Throughout the narrative there are various breaks between scenes to reflect on Latinx experiences, from not being able to locate ethnicity on forms and the difficulty of citizenship tests, to inappropriate comments and harmful stereotypes. They are told through audience interaction, musical sequences and powerful spoken word that makes you reflect on the show’s themes. Audiences also hear from the writers in voiceover segments, which add context to this action-packed heist story.
Cast performances
It goes without saying that this is very much an ensemble piece, with the four actors bringing together this remarkable story with so much energy. The camaraderie between the performers is second to none, and the friendships portrayed are incredibly genuine. For all of the laughter and unbelievable events, there is so much emotion and you can’t help but champion these brave characters who are risking a lot.
Contemporary, thrilling and powerful
Refreshing in its format, bold storytelling and ability to spark conversations, ‘My Uncle Is Not Pablo Escobar’ is a really engaging and memorable piece of theatre. Tomás Palmer’s set design and Roberto Esquenazi Alkabes’s lighting design also creates this electric atmosphere on stage that keeps the narrative energised and exhilarating all the way through. You can catch this brilliant piece of theatre at Brixton House until Sunday 3rd May 2026. Tickets can be purchased via the venue’s website.
*My ticket for ‘My Uncle Is Not Pablo Escobar’ was gifted in exchange for sharing social content. I was so impressed with the show, that I was inspired to write a full review!
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