Last Chance

The corpus of literature in which cigars play memorable parts is relatively small: “The Sun Also Rises,” “Carmen,” the Kenneth Starr report. Now there’s a valuable potential addition to this select company: Nilo Cruz’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, “Anna in the Tropics.” Directed by Juliette Carrillo, with measured urgency and ablend of crispness and contemplativeness, this is a production to enjoy in the moment, then savor upon reflection. At the end of this remarkable play, both the harsh Florida glare and the glow of a vanished world yield to the illumination of poetic truth.

Reed Johnson

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Ends Saturday at the South Coast Repertory, Julianne Argyros Stage, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. (714) 708-5555.