New play relives holiday memories of a ‘Bodega Princess’

Onstage, Iraisa Ann Reilly shares memories of her "favorite holiday," as a child in New Jersey. Photo: Johanna Austin. Egg Harbor City is about a 20 minute New Jersey Transit ride from Atlantic City, that teeming, tourist-driven seaside town with around 40,000 full-time residents. By contrast, the population of inland Egg Harbor City is 4,000, and change. Nearly a quarter of the population is Hispanic. These factoids are important to understanding A Bodega Princess Remembers La Fiesta de los Reyes Magos, 1998 , Iraisa Ann Reily’s one-woman memory play coming to Pinellas Park Nov. 12-22. Playwright and performer Reilly is bringing the show to First United Methodist Church’s community room, in a production by St. Petersburg’s site-specific theater company, Story Keepers. Reilly grew up in Egg City Harbor, with a Cuban mother and American father. “La Fiesta de los Reyes Magos is something that’s celebrated by a lot of Latin American and Hispanic countries, and it falls on Jan. 6,” she explains. “It’s their gift-giving day. It’s a big celebration.” Los Reyes Magos (The Three Kings) are feted within the context of Christmas. “You know the 12 Days of Christmas?” asks Reilly. “Jan. 6 is the last day of Christmas; in the Bible, it’s the story of the three kings who visit Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” It is celebrated with singing, dancing, food, traditions and profound merriment. “It’s a religious celebration, but it’s also really cultural.” (Christmas itself, much to the delight of Hispanic children, is also celebrated). As the title suggests, the play consists of Reilly talking about her family, her hometown and her memories of the annual St. Nick’s Catholic Church celebration of La Fiesta de los Reyes Magos (she was 8 in 1998, the year in question). “I go back and go through specific years of childhood, of going to this event,” she explains. “And there are times when I play my younger self, but I’m narrating it as me. As an adult.” She describes herself as a “bodega princess” because her grandparents were behind the counter at Pepe’s, the only bodega (grocery) in Egg Harbor City. They helped raise her, Reilly says, “so everybody knew me. Even if I didn’t know them, they knew who I was because I was their granddaughter. In the Latino community, everyone knew my grandfather because he owned the bodega.” During its in its Ensemble Studio Theatre (New York) production in 2025, Theatremania.com called the show “a vivid portrait of an American community in transition,” and praised the playwright/performer. “Reilly, with her winning combination of a dry delivery and a warm stage presence, makes it feel like a favorite Christmas movie, one you’ll gladly watch again year after year.” Reilly teaches theater for several organizations in New York City, including some connected with public schools, and as an adjunct professor at NYU Tisch (she has a Masters in Dramatic Writing from NYU). She is an Underground Resident Playwright at Roundabout Theatre Company. Commissioned by the Lucille Lortel Theatre, Latinx Playwrights Circle and Ensemble Studio Theatre, A Bodega Princess Remembers La Fiesta de los Reyes Magos, 1998 is one of a dozen plays on Reilly’s resume, although it’s just her second solo show. It received a workshop production with Philadelphia’s Simpatico Theatre Company, which won a Barrymore Award for Outstanding Original Production. It was also a finalist for the Philadelphia Award for Social Insight. The local Story Keepers production is directed by Jose Aviles. Find all showtimes and tickets at this link . Seating is extremely limited in the church’s community room. It’s up-close and personal. “I think this show really lends itself to an intimate space,” says Reilly. “There’s audience interaction, so it feels like I’m just up there having a conversation with the audience. I’m excited to do this in this site-specific place, in a similar setting to where the story takes place.” Share Tweet Share Related Topics: Boega Princess Ensemble Studio Theatre Iraisa Ann Reilly Pinellas Park St. Petersburg Story Keepers theater Click to comment Subscribe to the Daily Spark Get the latest right to your phone Subscription Form Name Email Subscribe Subscribe to the Daily Spark Get the latest right to your phone Subscription Form Name Email Subscribe You may like