Maria made history as the first Latina to headline in a theatrical capacity at the Kodak Theater with her sold-out performance of her one-woman stand up performance, Macho Men and the Women Who Love Them, which has also toured at several other prestigious venues across the US, including the Kumble Theater in Brooklyn, NY; the Sorensen Theater in Boston, MA; the Ricardo Montalban and Los Angeles Theater Center in Los Angeles, CA; and the Chysler Theater Center in the Charles Wright African American Museum in Detroit, MI. Maria has also toured internationally, performing comedy across Germany, Spain, Portugal, and a number of other countries. She has headlined for organizations like the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Maria has also performed comedy at over 80 college campuses across the US.

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“It's easy to see why audience members keep returning and the house is always packed for 'Macho Men and the Women Who Love Them'. Maria Costa explodes on-stage with brilliant comedic skill, while she brings sex appeal and insight to this one-woman show. It's fundamentally clear that, above all else, making people laugh is her primary gift. Coursing through her veins is the DNA of the Mark Brothers, Lucille Ball and Fanny Brice.  This is one funny girl who deserves to be a big, big star.”

                                                                                                         -CBS Radio News, Todd David Schwartz

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“Costa's performance [was] rolling in the aisles, laugh out loud funny. Her comedic timing is superb and the music/dance performances are mesmerizing. 'Macho Men' takes us on a journey that answers the ultimate question, 'What does it take to love a Macho Man?' Costa brings to life, ala Lily Tomlin, and characters that are both true-to-life and hilariously portrayed. Life as a Cuban-American is showcased in a outspoken, outrageously funny manner, with lively rumba dancers that seduce you the moment they start banging on those conga drums-this show really delivers! Costa's fearless take on tough subjects such as domestic violence, gay lifestyle, discrimination sexual situations and life as a Latina in love are both clever and side-splitting. I was laughing throughout the show. There were clever and hilariously funny monologues, that are Costa's specialty. Costa ignites the stage with her presence, when her dancing dazzles in a powerhouse comedic performance. I highly recommend it for its subject matter and excellently executed performance.”

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- Reviewplays.com, Elizabeth Lopez

 

“Costa enters like a tropical whirlwind escorted by a care of Afro-Cuban drummers. This show is about the empowerment of Latina women and the more Latina, more mixed-blood, more macho these women are, the more empowerment they have. ''Macho Men' is also an exercise in the art of self-expression Costa expresses with every inch of her freewheeling body, mobile face and great big smile exposing all those white teeth. Costa's ethnicity is African, Latin American and Hungarian; how's that for exotic. A Minx who won't behave, a bundle of pep, the vitality she expends suggests she has solved the secrets of perpetual motion.  If California could tap into Costa's energy source, we wouldn't have to worry about a shortage this summer.  It's sacrilege, I'm sure, to suggest anyone can inherit the mantle of Josephine Baker…still there's something here that stirs evocations of Josephine Baker's sensuous, feral presence.”
                                                                                                                            

-Back Stage West, Polly Warfield

 

“Fresh, hip and unpretentious, this one-woman show offers eight fast-paced comic vignettes about the many different shades of Afro-Latin culture. Smart and funny, Costa is an appealing performer and skillful mimic who switches easily and rapidly among characters. 'Macho Men'' excels at simultaneously acknowledging and skewering stereotypes; several of the vignettes have unexpected twist endings. Costa gives a performance that incorporates several brief but hilarious dance sequences.  Though most of the characters are female, machismo is a theme running through all of the vignettes…A winsome solo performance.”

                                                                                                                                      -LA Weekly

 

 

“Smart, funny…and beautiful, the third adjective usually isn't used to describe female comedians, but Maria Costa reflects all three elements.  Costa has been receiving a lot of well-deserved attention for her outrageous and hilarious storyline targeting her relationship with her macho Latino boyfriend, which echoes her critically-acclaimed one woman show, 'Macho Men and the Women Who Love Them.'
                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                                             -Black Men Magazine

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“On fire with the Machos, comedian Maria Costa unveils her rawest passions. 'Macho Men' is a jolt to the human spirit through humor.  Her most interesting qualities as an actress are her impeccable portrayal of the characters' physical traits, and her use of pause to create moments that go beyond what can be spoken.  The performance included so many “laugh pauses” that the scheduled hour was extended to an hour and a half show.  The auditorium was bursting at the seems, and the audience didn't seem to care, as she captivated everyone with her performance.”

                                                                                                                                        - HOY

 

“Hilarious…funny girl Maria Costa. Maria has built a name as a smart, funny talent in a town that's hard to impress.”
 In her comedy show, the liberated Latina makes jokes about Francisco's demand that she iron his shirts.  According to her, it never happened.  Instead he switched to wrinkle-free fabrics.                                                                                                                                                     

-Estylo

 

“In her live show, 'Macho Men and the Women Who Love Them', the fast-talking and physical Maria Costa is a one-woman whirlwind.  Like a female John Leguizamo, she's amazingly versatile, embodying a variety of hilarious, well-observed characters.  Maria Costa is funny, feisty and fearless.”
                                                                                                                             

                                                                                                                                       -KHX Radio, Carolyn Fox

 

 “After a six-week run to packed houses and standing ovations, Maria Costa's inflammatory one woman show, 'Macho Men and the Women Who Love Them'', will get the stage she deserves to do her wild and crazy 'Free the Latina spectacle'. Costa's outrageous 'Macho Men' explodes off the stage and into the audience as Maria's characters come to life and breathing fire. Half Cuban and half Hungarian, Maria's a very physical performer.  Funny and outspoken, this nonstop, bust-a-gut show hits home; that is if 'home' is a co-dependent place. Maria's very personal humor packs the punch of raw Cuban rum on an empty stomach. Born in Detroit to absentee parents (Hungarian mother and Cuban father), Maria was raised by her fiercely devoted Hungarian grandmother. The roots of her tragic-comic style were formed by her exposure to Lily Tomlin, Richard Pryor and Lucille Ball.  Maria is an old soul in a young and sexy body, and she works that body like a snake charmer to accentuate her dialogue and make her roaringly funny points clear.”

-Latin Style

 

“On stage, Maria explodes with brilliant comedic satirical writing and acting.  She keeps audiences laughing through the ups and downs, ins and outs of her relationship with her 'Macho'.  During this personal journey of self discovery, Maria seeks Macho advice from friends and family. She plays all the characters, including her eccentric tía, 'La Santera', and her fabulous drag queen brother,' Lalo', who is dealing with his own macho issues. One of the show's most touching moments is when Lalo finally confronts his father in drag for the first time. It is painfully funny and emotionally charged.”

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-QV Magazine