24 Off-Broadway plays worth discovering

When an independent play runs for 10 seasons, it’s undoubtedly a classic. Set in a hotel in a small town in Argentina’s littoral region, it believes in miracles; its protagonists are people who wait. They wait for everything: a change of life, a love relationship, a better future. And all believe in the miracles of “La Pilarcita,” a popular saint to whom one must offer a small specially made doll for the miracle to come true.

It is one of those delightful plays, with a profound and empathetic text, in which the audience is taken by hand through various emotions: from laughter to nostalgia, from nostalgia to sadness… and back to joy. María Marull’s writing and direction immerse you for a little over an hour in the rhythm and pulse of a hot town afternoon, with its melodies, characters, and beliefs.

Where: El Camarín de las Musas. Tickets, here.

Directed by Carlos Belloso. Cast: Carlos Belloso, Alejandra Oteiza, Beto Bernuez, Pepe Arias, and Eduardo Marcos.

With Carlos Belloso leading the cast, this comedy follows the story of Pedro, a baker and union leader who, during the Peronist government, is chosen to represent the working class at the Argentine Embassy in the Soviet Union, where he discovers the contradictions and entanglements of the Stalinist regime.

Where: Fridays at Palacio El Victorial, Saturdays at Teatro El Vitral. Tickets here.

With Leonor Manso, Eugenia Guerty, and Carolina Tejeda. Directed by Santiago Loza and Pablo Messiez.

A touching and heartfelt play by Manuel Puig that addresses fundamental themes such as love and the passage of time. Two sisters, Nidia and Luci, pass their hours through gossip about their neighbor Silvia’s loves as if they were stories that enrich life. To laugh, dream, and understand that it’s never too late to chase your own desires.

Where: Hasta Trilce. Tickets, here.

A "dream team" of theatre in a play written by Santiago Loza, starring Mariano Saborido and directed by Juanse Rauch and Valeria Lois. Mario runs a hostel with his mother in a remote southern village. Beyond lies a port that ceased functioning with travelers, sailors, and passersby. There is a return, a farewell, and Mario’s desire to flee forever among the icy sea, burning sensations, chants, and lots of wind.

Where: Dumont4040. Tickets, here.

With Ingrid Pelicori, Anahí Gadda, and Carolina Guevara. Directed by Cintia Miraglia.

A play by Susana Torres Molina focusing on two strangers who arrive at Frida’s house — the wife of an accused man — seeking what is rightfully theirs but was taken away. They expect reparation, but the material aspect is secondary, and the victims, in their thirst for revenge, become perpetrators.

Where: Portón de Sanchez. Tickets, here.

With: Natalia Pascale, Fito Perez, Darío Serantes. Directed by: Malena Miramontes Boim.

La Maddonita returned to the stage after 3 years of uninterrupted performances with over 100 shows. Written by Mauricio Kartun, the play takes place in the early 20th century in a hot attic in Parque Lezama where a man takes photos of his wife and then sells them among the immigrant working class, highlighting the friction between desire, sex, and poetry.

Where: Itaca Complejo Teatral, Humahuaca 4027. Tickets, here.

With: Delfina Colombo. Directed by: Iván Moschner.

A play that recovers a real event to give way to fiction: Javi trains to cross the Bermejo River that separates Chaco from Formosa. The pandemic leaves him on one side and his wife and little daughter on the other. Now that the moon shines and Yani and Lupe sleep on the opposite shore, swimming is the only way to get back to them — so Javi jumps in.

Where: Teatro El Grito, Costa Rica 5459. Tickets, here.

Written and directed by María Figueras. With Aymará Abramovich, Ezequiel Baquero, Agustín Daulte, Miguel Ferrería, Mercedes Moltedo, Malena Resino, and the voice of Rafael Spregelburd.

A small shop is living its last days and becomes the makeshift home for a widow and her two children. In their search for happiness, they travel a path full of obstacles, misunderstandings, secrets, and hidden dreams. Who wouldn’t want to go to a place that doesn’t hurt? Is love a form of resistance? These and other questions arise as they coexist with an unsettling presence.

Where: Espacio Callejón, Humahuaca 3759. Tickets, here.

With Omar Lopardo, Gonzalo Álvarez, Luciano Medina, Federico Justo, and cast. Directed by Claudio Gallardou.

Also of interest: One-person shows featuring talented actors on stage

A comedic operetta following the adventures, loves, and fates of three rural bandits from the 1930s, idealized by the townspeople as justice warriors who "steal from the rich to help the poor." With texts written in verse, the play is based on true events, showing how mistreatment by the authorities pushes these daring rebels outside the law, bringing the music and songs from the South and the littoral region to the audience.

Where: Teatro del Pueblo. Tickets, here.

With Mucio Manchini, Pablo Mónaco, Daniel Begino, Sol Fassi, and cast. Directed by Nicolás Dominici and Federico Lama.

A chemist invents a machine to dissolve bodies, and a killer hires him for his services. The police enter the business, and the company grows, becoming the biggest and most productive in history. Without bodies, there’s no evidence, and the perfect crime becomes possible. A powerful, funny crime story full of suspense, malice, and dark humor, where the characters reveal their meanest traits, lost causes, and darkest interests.

Where: Andamio 90. Tickets, here.

With Juan Luppi and Maxi Zago. Directed by Juan Luppi.

The story of Juan and Maxi, two street comedians hired to host the comeback of two comedy legends after 40 years away. In a neighborhood theater, amid rumors of a talent scout’s presence, the show turns into a chaotic night of sabotage, false identities, and a fierce fight to shine.

Where: Teatro El Tinglado. Tickets, here.

With Roxana Randón, Adabel Guerrero, Manuel Novoa, and Gonzalo Villanueva. Directed by Alejandro Magnone.

A powerful and emotional drama that deeply questions the most sacred bonds: family. Through a seemingly simple situation—a family visit—a web of secrets, mandates, silences, and fractures unfolds, bursting what’s left unspoken. What happens when what comes from outside not only unsettles but transforms forever?

Where: Teatro El Tinglado. Tickets, here.

With Fernando Miguelez, Natalia Giardinieri, Mora Monteleone, and Nahuel Monasterio. Directed by Eva Halac and Hernán Márquez.

Emilio, a 54-year-old wine label designer, has just separated. His 18-year-old daughter Ámbar uses the garage for a questionable art installation. Melissa, 45, organizes cultural events. Manuel, 22, works in a funeral home to inspire his visual art. Four people trying to do the right thing but seeming to do the opposite until an unexpected decision brings their stories together.

Where: Teatro Del Pueblo. Tickets, here.

With Leandro Orellano, Agustín Monzón, Fabián Petroni, Federico Milman, Santiago Maurig, Lorenzo Martelli. Directed by Maxi Rofrano.

At the final stage of his poor boxing career, Jacinto “El Negro” Ortega receives an offer to fight at Luna Park. His opponent is the young Argentine boxing prospect, Carlitos Peralta. However, the offer comes at a high price: to let himself be beaten. Ortega’s doubts oscillate between honor and money. He will resolve the dilemma in his natural habitat: the ring.

Where: Espacio Callejón. Tickets, here.

With José Escobar, Ariel Gigena, Karina Hepner, Natalia Imbrosciano, and Mauro Pelandino. Directed by Melisa Freund.

A group of friends gathers to rehearse a choreography for an amateur contest, but what begins as an aerobic practice ends up turning into a suffocating and explosive game with a complex web of relationships linked to love and betrayal.

Where: Espacio Callejón. Tickets, here.

With Víctor Anakarato, Juan Rutkus, Darío Serantes. Directed by Darío Serantes.

A classic play by French playwright Jean Genet, premiered in Paris in 1947, telling the story of two maids who engage in a secret and perverse ceremony, pushing a diabolical ritual to the limit in which they worship their mistress while she struts around, enjoying the torture and shining with a triumphant feeling.

Where: Ítaca Complejo Teatral. Tickets, here.

By the company Toia&Callaci of Agustina Toia and Severio Calacci.

Third season in Buenos Aires for this play that was acclaimed at international festivals. A journey through women who fought for their ideals and marked the course of history with a common denominator: their name. Juana Manso, Juana the Mad, Joan of Arc, Pope Joan Giovanna Marturano, Juana de Ibarbouru, and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz inspire us with their struggle and passion.

Where: Jean Jaures 858, La Carpinteria. Tickets, here.

With Tony Lestingi, Pablo Mariuzzi, Natacha Delgado. Directed by Andrés Bazzalo.

A dramedy that tells the story of a family reunion forced by circumstances when Pablo returns to Buenos Aires after many years. With humor, tenderness, and a good dose of conflict, the play offers a compassionate look at family bonds and the legacies that live within us—both those that hurt and those that enlighten.

Where: Hasta Trilce. Tickets, here.

With Malena Bernardi, Pablo Mónaco, Camila Zopatti, Fermín Varangot, and cast. Directed by Martín Repetto.

A story of relational conflicts amid the debate over a future euthanasia law that shakes society. Bonds reach a turning point where trust and love are questioned. How far are we willing to look the other way and cling to our ideal world? Once the limits of truth are crossed and lies take hold, the damage may be irreparable.

Where: Patio de Actores. Tickets, here.

A woman is forced to return to her home country to empty her mother’s house. There, the monarch butterflies inhabiting the empty home trigger a metamorphosis process, and through a language that blends theater and audiovisual art, the play offers a sensitive and poetic look at grief, absence, women, their relationships, and their fate.

Where: Área 623. Tickets, here.

With Ana Rodriguez Arana and Sylvia Tavcar. Directed by Andrea Giglio.

A theatrical piece exploring different approaches and experiences of love when a theater director tries to persuade a poet to grant the rights to a play about a romantic story. After a first meeting, the line between fiction and reality begins to blur, and the play’s plot unfolds simultaneously with its writing and performance.

Where: Ítaca Complejo Teatral. Tickets, here.

With Matías Broglia and Pedro Rissi. Directed by Adriana Roffi.

An absurd satire with disarming humor and surprising twists about the desire to “belong” and be part of a tribe at any cost. Two ordinary guys face off in a corrosive piece focused on polarization and abuse in humanity.

Where: El Camarín de las Musas. Tickets, here.

With Mario Petrosini and Cristian Sabaz. Directed by Alfredo Megna.

A dramedy where Andy (a tango dancer with a frustrated academic past) and Fito (a melancholic dumpster diver) are two mature men sharing a strange coexistence. They live together, confront each other, and tolerate one another. Amid dysfunctional routines and petty revenge, they build a relationship oscillating between habit and contained violence, inviting us to reflect on bonds and their consequences.

Where: El Tinglado. Tickets, here.

With Andrés Terigi, Tomás Daumas, Florencia Mazza. Directed by Andrés Terigi.

A realistic fable based on a Dr. Seuss story, set on Christmas Eve but relocated to Argentina. Grincho is a green, ugly man who lives isolated in a cave behind a landfill. His sister Alina invites him to Christmas dinner at her house; also arriving is Noel, a former coworker working as Santa Claus tonight, who wants to have a beer with his friend. Will this be a Christmas like any other?

Where: Área 623. Tickets, here.