Reviews for Melissa Navia
in INTAR's
BUNDLE OF STICKS
~

"Navia completely inhabits Francisco's suppressed desire and subsequent shame,
and we momentarily forget that we're watching a woman."
- TheatreMania.com

"Bundle of Sticks engages the audience with humor and imagination...
Melissa Navia plays the role [of Francisco] with an earnest, keen sense of desperation and honesty."
- TheatreScene.net

Melissa Navia made her Off-Broadway debut in the world premiere of J. Julian Christopher's Bundle of Sticks at INTAR Theatre.
The show opened to rave reviews - "this bold, fascinating drama potently exposes the atrocities of conversion therapy" and "handles issues of self-acceptance and internalized homophobia with sensitivity and humor" -
with critics agreeing that Melissa's performance as Francisco "lit up the stage."

Melissa Navia & Zo Tipp in Bundle of SticksPhotography: Carol Rosegg
"Mr. Christopher writes with humor, facility, intelligence and great clarity...Francisco, played by Melissa Navia, vacillated between self-loathing brought on by his latin background, and a powerful, undeniable love of dick. Ms. Navia’s transformation from Otto’s lap dog to independence lit up the stage."
- Pup's Books - Ewing Reviewing (Full Review)

"Bundle of Sticks features exceptional performances and stellar design. While all of the characters are cis men, all the performers are women, trans, or non-binary individuals, driving home the ways that Otto’s homophobic rhetoric is deeply rooted in misogyny. All of the actors are quite strong, especially Melissa Navia as Francisco...J. Julian Christopher’s script handles issues of self-acceptance and internalized homophobia with sensitivity and humor."
- TheReviewsHub.com (Full Review)

"Bundle of Sticks engages the audience with humor and imagination, culminating in joyous freedom for the men and their natural desires...Melissa Navia plays the role [of Francisco] with an earnest, keen sense of desperation and honesty."
- TheatreScene.net (Full Review)

"Small vignettes allow us to see the home lives of each of these men, and committed performances by the actors give that side of the story the seriousness it deserves. Francisco's scene (which features a confrontation with his exasperated daughter) is particularly moving. Navia completely inhabits Francisco's suppressed desire and subsequent shame, and we momentarily forget that we're watching a woman."
- TheatreMania.com (Full Review)

"Don't expect to see its like any time soon...Under Lou Moreno’s fearless direction, the cast is extremely good.
The demands on them are not your average garden variety requests."
- NYStageReview.com (Full Review)

"a heavy dose of magical realism…[that] challenges traditional constructs of gender identity…
this bold, fascinating drama potently exposes the atrocities of conversion therapy, the duplicity of its perpetrators,
and the trauma it still causes countless innocent LGBTQ people across the globe."
- GayCityNews.com (Full Review)

________

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bundle of Sticks had to close early on March 12th, 2020,
with all of Broadway, for the good of the public and the safety & welfare of its artists & the community.
Ever conscious of her Colombian roots and always looking for new ways to tell challenging stories,
Melissa was particularly stoked to perform on INTAR's stage, a theatre company known for its history
of championing new, powerful & varied works by Latinx playwrights.