GARBO’S CUBAN LOVER

Garbo’s Cuban Lover an Original play by Odalys Nanin. (The abridged version) 

When writer Mercedes de Acosta arrived in Hollywood in 1931, her charm, flamboyance, and aristocratic upbringing allowed her to gain entry into the Hollywood elite immediately, keeping her from staying behind the scenes, even for a moment. De Acosta did not bother falling in line with the American patriarchal social norms of feminine behavior: she was divorced, dressed in trousers and leather and convinced others to do so, and was an outed lesbian in that largely closested golden world. 

During de Acosta’s years as a writer in the Hollywood film industry, battling its gender hierarchy, she was also a suffragette, fought for women’s rights and animal rights, and she was linked romantically with its most famous stars: Greta Garbo, Isadora Duncan, Marlene Dietrich and Tallulah Bankhead, among dozens of other famous women.

In 1968, De Acosta died alone, yet, she did not fade into history, forgotten. She has become a queer icon: be bold; wear the trousers or a tricorn hat if you want to, unapologetically be yourself, just love. 

Garbo’s Cuban Lover is a play that honors this dynamic woman, taking her back from infamy, to explore the powerful, kind, adventurous, often funny woman who had so much to give.

Premiere March 12, 2026

Venue: H2O, Hørsholmsgade 20- 2200 Copenhagen