Off-Broadway play 'Made in Puerto Rico' is a cross-cultural experience

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - The off-Broadway show "Made in Puerto Rico" is captivating audiences at the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater in Manhattan. The one-man show is written and performed by Elizardi Castro, who takes you on a journey to La Isla Del Encanto.

"It's about throwing out how different we are and making fun of those differences, having fun with those differences, " Eli said, "and getting you to embrace those differences."

It is a comedy about family, culture, and traditions that all Latinos and even non-Latinos have when they come to the U.S.

Eli wasn't always on stage. He's a former prosecutor and criminal defense attorney.

"It started when I would sneak away from court and I would lock myself up in my office and I would write stories about my family, about growing up in Puerto Rico," Eli said, "about the transition of coming over to New York and trying to fit in."

His family left Puerto Rico when he was 9 years old.

"I went through many years trying to assimilate to this society," he said. "And now with this show, I'm trying to include you in my world so we can come together and meet in the middle and laugh about it."

The jokes transcend nationalities.

"If you are not Puerto Rican, if you are non-Latino, it's going to feel like you have this really cool Puerto Rican friend who is brining you over to his family and we are making you feel at home," Eli said. "You're going to be surprised as to how much Spanish you actually understand."

Indeed, 80% of the show is in English and the rest is in Spanish.

"You are going to be surprised as to how much you laugh at it," Eli said. "And you're like, 'Oh my god, I'm a little Latino, I'm a little Puerto Rican.' And that's the point."

Eli said that Puerto Ricans don't celebrate their culture as much—and that drove him throughout the years to celebrate Puerto Rico.

"To show people who we are. Are you a country? Are you a state? We're neither," Eli said. "But yet, we're so much. And I want to put that on stage and celebrate that."

The show has been a success. Tickets are sold out. He was only supposed to be in New York for four weeks. He is here until April 21.

"And that's incredible because to me this is still my living room. To me, I'm just inviting you over for dinner and let me entertain you for a little bit," Eli said. "The demand has been so amazing that it's a blessing.'

So what's next for Eli? He wants to take his show to the big stage: Broadway. He's even thinking about turning "Made in Puerto Rico" into a sitcom.