This August, the Little Haiti Cultural Complex will come alive with song, storytelling, and community as The Last Songs of My Mother and Tonton makes its world premiere. Written and directed by folklorist, singer, playwright, and theatrical ceramicist Celeste Landeros, this interactive production honors two beloved Miami elders and the family and friends who cared for them.

Based on true events and real Miami residents, Last Songs follows 90-year-old Dr. Jean Fraser — a retired Scottish-Irish-Canadian-American schoolteacher — and 82-year-old Catelus “Tonton” Laguerre — a master Haitian percussionist — as they live out their final days in the same house over one long year. Playwright Celeste Landeros shares her family experience as they cared for her mother Jean, diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and her mentor, Tonton, who her family had the honor of hosting for the last seven years of his life.

Developed through Miami-Dade’s Playwright Development Program, workshopped at The Orchard Project in New York, and funded by a Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs Community Grant, Last Songs explores family caregiving, cultural exchange, and the inequities of the healthcare system, all underscored by traditional Scottish, Irish, and Haitian folk music. Audience members are not just spectators but participants, as the story unfolds around them. Throughout the play, actors invite the audience to sing along, learn new songs, and join in the shared act of remembering.

The Last Songs of My Mother and Tonton - V.1

By Lost Girls Theatre Inc

The Last Songs of My Mother and Tonton - V.1

A Haitian & Scottish folklore musical by Celeste Landeros tells the tale of a culture that lost its memory and a culture that lost its home