My Uncle is Not Pablo Escobar at Brixton House Review
Written by Bronagh for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Tickets were gifted in return for an honest review. All views are our own
Content and production warnings: themes of deportation and strong language, flashing lights, haze and loud music.
Some of my favourite theatre productions are those that explore identify and give a voice to those that we don’t hear from as often as we should. My Uncle is Not Pablo Escobar follows four Latinx women, exploring the ‘unseen’, the stereotypes, and the inability to find a box on a form to tick. Expect challenge, a heist, and realising how difficult the British Citizenship test is.
Firstly, I’d like to praise The Hale and Brixton House for how open and welcoming they are to non-English speakers and those who identify as Latinx. Although performed in largely in English, there are subtitles available in Portuguese, Spanish and English. This is during every performance, and not just the odd show. Although limited, Brixton House are also offering £5 tickets to those who belong to the Latinx community. These are two things that struck me pretty much instantly and set me off in a positive mood and excited for the show.
We start My Uncle is Not Pablo Escobar with a short prologue, outlining the stereotypes that Latinx women face. This is an amusing and engaging sequence, much like watching a girlband. Throughout the show we are treated to short interludes between scenes, including an interactive gameshow. These interludes keep things fresh and the energy levels high.
We then meet and get to know our cast. Ale (Yanexi Enriquez), a teenager bound for the University of Cambridge. She is then joined by her sister Cata (Lorena Andrea), an investigative journalist in London for work. Lucia (Cecilia Alfonso-Eaton) joins Ale at her cleaning job, a cover up for a secret task she has been asked to partake in. Honey (Nathaly Sabino) is an almost-vet, go-go dancer and cleaning supervisor. All fit into different aspects of the Latinx identity and have been hit by different attitudes, whether that’s being asked to talk dirty in Spanish or being questioned on whether being Afro-Latina is actually a thing. All women have their own stories and personalities, gelling together well and realistically.
Things really start to get spicy when we realise that Cata is in London to work on an exposé on ‘The Bank’ and its involvement in money laundering. We soon learn that she has recruited Lucia to help her, entrusting her with slipping into the Big Boss’ office and trying to hack into the system. A heist is soon planned – forget the Louvre Heist, there are new girls in town – and executed. The heist scenes are silly fun, including homemade frocks and some amateur veterinary surgery.
Behind the wit and comedy, there is a dark underbelly. We learn that Ale and Cata’s young brother was hit by a stray bullet, resulting in Ale being moved to London when she is 11 year old and put to work cleaning in the early hours of the morning. It’s no wonder Cata feels so strongly about bringing down the cartels and the crimes that they commit, leaving behind so many forgotten victims. Mentions of undocumented workers, usually working more than one job for less than minimum wage, are peppered throughout. I naively thought the show might end after the Heist, the lights dimming as the cast strike their girlband poses. However, ending in a detention centre was a stark reminder to me that this isn’t just drama, this is reality for many people out there. We don’t end on a totally sombre not with a glimmer of happiness, with Ale and Lucia forming a sisterhood.
I can’t find any faults with My Uncle is Not Pablo Escobar. It is wonderful to have a show based on the Latinx community, celebrating these women and the culture as a whole. The cast are a joy to watch, matching the energy of the script and keeping up the momentum. Bravo!
My Uncle is Not Pablo Escobar plays at Brixton House until 3rd May 2026
★★★★★
