By Charlene Baldridge | Theater Critic

“In the Time of the Butterflies,” produced by San Diego Repertory Theatre showing through Jan. 26 at the Lyceum Space, tells the story of three Dominican Republic (DR) sisters, Minerva, Patria and Maria Teresa Mirabal, who were brutally murdered on Nov. 25, 1960 because of their resistance to the dictatorship of Generalissimo Rafael Trujillo.

A fourth sister, Dedé Mirabal, who raised her sisters’ orphaned children, was not involved in the resistance movement and survived to tell the story. Trujillo, who called the assassination of the Mirabal sisters a traffic accident, was himself assassinated by a group of conspirators the following year.

Dedé wrote her own Spanish-language book, in effect becoming the storyteller for the violence and oppression of women who live under dictatorial regimes. In 1994, Julia Alvarez wrote “In the Time of the Butterflies,” a best-selling work of historical fiction that further popularized the story. The current play, by UC San Diego graduate Caridad Svich, is based on the Alvarez novel. Todd Salovey and Herbert Siguenza (who plays numerous men, including Trujillo) co-direct. Ericka Aisha Moore, who choreographed Eveoke Dance Theatre’s 2010 and 2012 productions of “Las Mariposas,” a dance work based on the same material, choreographs Svich’s play.

“Butterflies” is the code name of the resistance movement in which Minerva (Jacqueline Grace Lopez), Patria (Elisa Gonzalez) and Maria Teresa (Maritxell Carrero) became involved. The well-educated young women were raised on an estate in Ojo de Ague, a town in Salcedo, DR. The action is set in the garden where the spirits of the sisters are said to live, and where the three martyrs are now buried.

Dedé is played by the extraordinary, award-winning Catalina Maynard, whose makeup and hair make her a dead-ringer for the real-life character. Excellent UCSD graduate Sandra Ruiz portrays the younger Dedé. Ruiz also plays an American woman who comes in “the suspended present” to interview Dedé. Once this is sorted out in the playgoer’s head, it is smooth sailing. Carrero, a UC San Diego grad with extensive international credits, is exceptionally endearing as Maria Teresa, the script’s most fully fleshed and lovable character.

In spite of magnificent acting and a beautiful staging upon Ian Wallace’s set (he also did projection design), Svich’s play observes the story from an oddly removed vantage. The best thing this manifestation of the story has going for it is the emotional involvement of composer/soundscape designer Michael Roth’s score — especially as realized by splendid violinist Batya MacAdam-Somer, who plays live from the loft. It is the work’s heart and soul. Roth has written a couple of intricate chorales for the sisters. The culminating “The Flowers of Santo Domingo” is a humdinger. Perhaps an opera?

Minerva, Patria and Maria Teresa were between 24 and 36 at the time of their “accident.” Dedé has devoted her life to keeping the memory of her sisters’ sacrifice alive. The United Nations declared November 25 the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women in honor of the Mirabel sisters.

Sadly, the message is still needed: Women suffer worldwide under dictatorial, totalitarian regimes.

WHEN: 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays; 8 p.m. Thursdays – Saturdays, with matinees at 7 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Jan. 26
WHERE: Lyceum Space, San Diego Repertory Theatre, 79 Horton Plaza, Downtown San Diego
TICKETS: $31 – $47
INFORMACIÓN: sdrep.org or 619-544-1000