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Joy Huerta’s Broadway Debut Is a Win for Latina Storytelling
Joy Huerta is making history, again. This time, she’s not just dominating Latin pop with Jesse & Joy, she’s bringing her talent to Broadway as the composer and lyricist of Real Women Have Curves: The Musical. Based on Josefina López’s beloved play (which also inspired the 2002 film starring America Ferrera), the musical is set to open at the James Earl Jones Theatre on April 27, bringing a powerful Latina story to the Broadway stage.
For Joy, entering the world of musical theater was unexpected but thrilling. She wasn’t always a fan of the genre, but over time, she fell in love with it. These days, she’s been traveling back and forth between Mexico City and New York, collaborating closely with the production team and her co-writer Benjamin Vélez to perfect the music.
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The show follows Ana García, a young Latina in 1987 Los Angeles, who dreams of going to college but finds herself working in her family’s garment factory. As she balances her own ambitions with the expectations of her mother and the sisterhood of women around her, Real Women Have Curves dives into themes of self-acceptance, body image, and the struggles of immigrant families.
In an interview with Los Angeles Times, Joy talks about how writing for theater is entirely different from creating music for Jesse & Joy. Rather than simply finishing a song and putting it out there, she has had to get used to making ongoing adjustments. “It keeps evolving,” she said. “We’re constantly tweaking things, making them better, and finding the best way to tell this story.”
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The process, which was layed back due to the pandemic, pushed her to reconnect with her roots in a new way. “I had to go back to my main instrument: my voice,” she shared. “It made me fall in love with music all over again.” Her songs don’t just add emotion to the story; they also help deepen the characters and their experiences. She even created a visual chart to map out how the music connects with different moments in the show.
Fans don’t have to wait until April anymore to get a taste of Real Women Have Curves: The Musical. Joy has just released Real Women Have Curves The Musical: Makin’ it Work, an EP featuring four songs from the show: Make it Work, Daydream, Flying Away, and Real Women Have Curves. A full cast recording will be released later, but for now, these tracks offer a first glimpse at the energy and emotion Joy has brought to Broadway.
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At its core, Real Women Have Curves is a celebration of Latina strength, resilience, and community. Joy sees the story as a reflection of the struggles and triumphs many women face, from body positivity to family expectations and self acceptance. While she acknowledges that conversations around self-acceptance have progressed, she also points out that issues like immigration continue to be as urgent as ever.
“I think the issue of body positivity has come a long way. I see it in the younger generations, who have a lot more confidence in their bodies, breaking the taboos left by our parents,” said Joy.
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Talking about immigration, she said: “You could say, we are in the future. We’re telling a different story. Unfortunately, we still live in a different reality. But what I find so interesting about this narrative is the family aspect… It started as a mother-daughter story, and now it’s about a mother, daughter, sister, community, with all the women they’re working with at this factory. What’s fascinating is seeing how you can connect with each of these individuals.”
That’s what makes Real Women Have Curves so powerful. It’s personal, it’s universal, and it’s long overdue on Broadway. And thanks to Joy Huerta, it’s got a soundtrack that will stay with audiences long after they leave the theater.
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