By John Hayden
Aliens, robots, and murderous astronauts are descending on Fort Lauderdale! Latiné Theater Lab is staging the world premiere of Last of the Red Hot Robots by South Florida playwright Brian Harris.
The show is different from traditional stories that you follow through the course of the evening. Last of the Red Hot Robots is four, one-act shows produced together and are connected by themes of science fiction with plenty of reveals and surprises along the way.
Latiné Theater Lab founder Alex Gonzalez tells OutClique that sci-fi fans are going to love it from beginning to end. “Every act is different. We have aliens, we have robots. We have murderous astronauts. It’s a little bit of a smorgasbord. If you like sci-fi and you’re into variety acts, this is a great production for you.”
He’s also proud to help debut the show. “I’m very fortunate and very grateful to be putting on this work for him. The show is campy, slapstick, there’s a little bit of burlesque in there as well.”
Gonzalez created Latiné Theater Lab to spotlight latiné artists in the area. The shows are presented at Empire Stage in Fort Lauderdale. Their first production, Mud, was this spring. Being the leader of his own troupe is a dream come true.
“It was amazing. I’ve done theater for a long time. Every show is my favorite one. But Mud being the first one, it felt like my baby. So to have such a positive response and people walking out of the theater saying, ‘Whoa. I just experienced this crazy performance,’ was gratifying. It made me feel good that I took this leap of faith.”
Now the nascent company is on the eve of launching its second show in four months. “It’s amazing. It feels a little sad. One show closes, another one opens. There’s a little bit of awwww. The first one is out, it did its thing. It feels great and I’m excited for the next adventure.”
Last of the Red Hot Robots is the final show of the premiere season, but Gonzalez and his team are already working on season two. “We’re in the process of dreaming up season two. I can tell you it will be very immersive. The audience isn’t just watching the story, they’re actually in the story.”
Last of the Red Hot Robots runs September 4-27, 2025 at Empire Stage located at 1140 N. Flagler Dr. in Fort Lauderdale, with Thursday performances starting at $15.
For more information on tickets, visit LatineTheaterLab.com.
