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| Elisa Bocanegra and Al Rodrigo - Photos by Gio Solis by Bracero.la |
By Joe Straw
Theatre is remembering the moment.
– Narrator
Haditha, Iraq is on fire. It rages out of control as explosions
engulf fleeing innocent women and children.
One more bomb explodes and lifts Shar (Vahen Assadourian)
off the ground into an almost a backflip and onto the dry desert sand.
After the cut in action, Elliot (Peter Pasco) becomes aware that
the Jordanian wind has caused the stunt to go awry. He’s concerned that Shar flew exceedingly far
and might be hurt. He runs to her and ask questions to check on her mental and physical
acuity.
“I’m Shar. I’m in Jordan filming a movie.” – Shar
In the course of doing the physically demanding stunt, Shar has
soiled her abaya (a long black long-sleeved robe worn by Muslim women) and
needs another one.
Ali (Kamal Maravati) hired as a local expert and doubling as
an assistant costumer, says he will get her a change. But there’s the bad news—she
fell the wrong way and Nigel, the director (not seen), wants to do it all over
again.
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| L - R Kamal Marayati, Peter Pasco, and Vaneh Assadourian |
Ali, more than generous,
scurries off to get Shar a new abaya.
This gives Elliot time to share the on-the-set gossip—the lead
actor got fired on this docu-drama. This
is good news for Elliot. His agent has already negotiated for points on the
film. And now, he is moving up in the world.
Elliot knows they have the next day off so he enlists Ali to
drive them to Egypt. Ali says it’s too
dangerous because of the upheaval with Mubarak leaving office.
The Latino Theater
Company presents The Happiest Song Plays
Last written by Quiara Alegría Hudes and directed by Edward Torres and now
playing downtown on 6th Street through March 17, 2018.
Scene 2
Yaz (Elisa Bocanegra), doing the neighborly thing, has just
gotten Agustín (Al Rodrigo) out of jail. It is too early in the morning to be pleasant
to one another and yet all Austín can think of is the food on the stove. (Well,
that’s the second thing on his mind.) Yaz, still delirious from waking up during
the graveyard shift, won’t let him have a bit of it.
“I hate jail. Thirty people, one
toilet, no food.” - Agustín
“Then stop going there.” -
Yaz
“If there was someone else I could have call, I would.” - Agustín
“You have a wife. Her name is Miriam.” - Yaz
“Best friends are less
judgmental.” - Agustín
Despite all the grief, they enjoy each other’s company, the
stories, and everything Yaz does to liven this northern Philadelphia
neighborhood. Yaz pushes Austín in the
direction of his wife, but he is not budging and that’s when Lefty (John
Seda-Petre) looks through the window and then bangs at the door.
Even though Yaz has an unlocked door policy, Lefty needs Yaz
to let him in. Lefty is homeless, bound in garb that keeps him warms on the
streets of Philadelphia. Lefty calls Yaz “mom”, and immediately Yaz directs him
to the pots, to get food for himself and for the assortment of other hungry homeless
characters in the neighborhood.
Agustín is interrupted in his quest for more than a moment
of Yaz’s time as Lefty sits, eats his food, and eyes both of them.
Stopped in the progression of his task, Agustín waits for
Lefty to leave. Meanwhile we learn that Agustín is a musician and an educator—he
was Yaz’s first music teacher in high school. Also he has sent many poor kids
to college including Yaz who went to Yale and has become a professor of music.
Agustín wants only one thing before his time is up and that
one thing will make all the difference in the world.
There is something enchanting about this play, directed by Edward Torres, that says a lot about
life, and about bringing life into this world. And it is also about enriched
cultures expressing a quiet rage, a particular point of view, where lives can change
in a dramatic instant.
This production is pleasing to the soul. It is remarkable in so many ways, it is
visually stunning, and the acting is top notched. But there are a few observations
that need to be addressed, which I will get to later.
One of the things I enjoyed in Quiara Alegría Hudes’s work is the simplicity of the dialogue, the
timelessness of the issues, and the complexities of living in today’s world. “Happiest” is about doing the thing you love to do best. Hudes gives us delectable oblong morsels in
her art, strong visuals of life, and words that play like music.
In addition to bringing happiness into the world, there is another
side to Hudes’ work—about death and destruction and people starving in the streets.
One catches glimpses of these backstories in this play but still we feel the immeasurable
importance of the struggle of unfortunate human beings as they negotiate their
way about the world.
What gives this story its dramatic glow is the unconquerable
obstinacy of people trying to make right for things that are horribly wrong. And
these individuals are doing their best, by offering the smallest part in saving
the world. It is
touching in so many ways and stays with you long after you have left the
theatre. On top of all that, it is
graphically poetic in ways that art enlightens the soul.
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| L - R Elisa Bocanegra, Vaneh Assadourian, Peter Pasco, and Kamal Marayati |
Edward Torres,
the director, has a fine time with this ensemble. All of the actors grow in their moments on
stage. And there is an extreme fascination in witnessing their hard work on
stage. But some opportunities to reveal character traits are missing. These are the physical traits that create and
move a character toward their objective. With that said, there appears to be
more going on than the spoken word. Two
characters in a room alone conflicted by what they want, because that conflict
hinders those persons from their objective. The two are in a sparring match,
moving beyond a moment only after embracing a resolution in conflict. For example, there is a lot to be added to the
relationship between teacher and student, among adulterous neighbors, among co-workers,
and even among adversaries.
Also, the play begs to be performed in a much more intimate
space. Se Hyun Oh, Scenic Design,
gives a wonderful set for the actors to create, a modest home in Philadelphia, and
a desert space in Jordan. But, the night begs to see actors, up close, highlighting
their subtle moments, their conflicted eyes, and the slight touches of an
awakening romance. Still, one can’t help but be amazed when walking into the
theatre and seeing the beautiful set.
Elisa Bocanegra
(Yaz) brings a lot of humor to the role. She has a lovely voice in the opening number,
which is a wonderful addition to the play. Yaz is a delightful character with a
compassionate heart – one that wants to give to the entire Philadelphia neighborhood
and possibly the world.
Al Rodrigo
(Agustín) has a commanding presence and a wonderful way about the stage. His
movements toward a physical relationship are possibly too subtle for this venue. Rubbing someone’s callous feet doesn’t move
far enough into establishing a significant romantic relationship. Still,
overall his performance brings a heartwarming smile.
Peter Pasco takes
time to grow as Elliot. But after a time, he settles into the role. There’s
more to be had with his relationship with his yet to be girlfriend and in
particular the opening number, which plays like co-worker interacting rather
than potential lovers. Also, there’s
more to had with his relationship to his cousin, an intimate backstory that
needs addressing. The back and forth on
the phone/computer worked if you listened to the voices and not looked at the
out-of-sync video projected on the walls.
Vaneh Assadourian
presents a strong female figure as Shar, a stuntwoman and a graduate of
Julliard. There is never a hint to a physical intimacy between her and her soon-to-be
husband during this performance. The
scene of committing to travel together, the eating scene, and the hotel scene
all have opportunities to make that happen. Still, Assadourian presents a pleasant figure
on stage.
Kamal Marayati
plays Ali, a lovely soul, who is Iraqi hiding in Jordan and working on the
film. Marayati gives a tremendous amount of backstory to the character and I
will remember the moment about the passport forever. This is a performance not to be missed.
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| John Seda-Pitre |
John Seda-Pitre also gives a marvelous performance as Lefty, a homeless character and is incapacitated with a mental problem. Lefty is an interesting character with an ambiguous objective for Seda-Pitre to conger. Lefty and Yaz need each other but how that translates to the ending is anyone’s guess.
This version of the play has been changed from the published
version available on Kindle. So, if
you’ve read it, you’re going to be enchanted by something a little different.
The music was brilliant by Nelson Gonzáles (Special Guest Artist) and accommodated the action
on stage.
Dianne K. Graebner’s
work as Costume Design was superb.
Ivan Robles’
Sound Design fit nicely with the accentuated dramatic moments on stage.
Other members of the hard working crew are as follows:
John A.Garofalo – Lighting Design
Yee Eun Nam – Projection Design
Jess Wolinsky – Assistant Director
Cristina “Crispy” Carrillo-Dono – Assistant Stage Manager
Emily Lehrer – Production Stage Manager
Lucy Pollock – Publicity
Run! Run! Run! And take someone from Puerto Rico. It will make all the difference in the world.
One more note: This was the best of the trilogy now playing in Los Angeles.
Reservations: 866-811-4111
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