Blade to the Heat by Oliver Mayer

By Joe Straw

In my battle to learn Spanish, I put on the boxing gloves, lift the ropes, and step into the language ring with shoes that don’t fit, and trunks that slip beyond my crack, held up con guantes de boxeo rojo, and dangling loose white strings.

Luckily, the match against Spanish is not that great on this night, and mostly Spanish that I was able to comprehend.

Hero Theatre presented a one night only benefit event of Blade to the Heat by Oliver Mayer directed by Elisa Bocanegra a stage reading as part of the Future Classics Reading Series on May 25, 2019.

In the play, one name stuck with me was a familiar one, one that I had heard before. Mantequilla Decima (Peter Mendoza).  Loosely translated Mantequilla is butter and Decima is a tenth. Yes, Mantequilla sounds like a nickname, as in he was as smooth as butter.  Or, as soft as butter. Not really something you want to say about your prized fighter.  And, Decima means a tenth.  A tenth of butter? 

Is this an entry from a recipe list? Décima de mantequilla?

What was the author, Oliver Mayer, thinking when he came up with that name?

But, in Blade to the Heat, most of the names have a poetic truth Malacara (Melinna Bobadilla) means “bad face” the woman, Alacran (Tom Sandoval) means scorpion, Three-Finger Jack (Jack Landrón) - not Spanish - sounds like a drink reference and these are all names one would find around the fringe of a grungy boxing gym next door to a dodgy bar.  

The characters in this play lend itself to a remarkable vision, moving beyond the read, a vision that can be exaggerated in a staged performance, in character, completely and also with ambiguity.

But this is a reading, played out for a cause on this night, one that celebrates a Latino writer and the Hero Theatre.

Mantequilla Decima (Armando McClain) is a Cuban prized fighter, the reining middleweight champion.  And a fighter who is just beyond his pinnacle, feeling the ravages of age, previous fights, and loosing a step or two he loses his bout to Pedro Quinn (Peter Mendoza) a younger man who relieves Decima of his belt.

Quinn doesn’t believe he deserves the belt for reasons not entirely clear.

Standing envenomed Decima wilts with questions and self-doubts about his sexuality. His girlfriend Sarita Malacara “bad face” tries to relieve some of his stress in ways the Cuban doesn’t entirely get. (Possibly too many shots to the head, or just sexually confused.)  And Decima questions the reasons his boxing opponent sends a small smile in his direction.

Decima reaffirms his manliness, his steel resolve, with a fist lovingly placed on Sarita’s chin but definitely takes the “B” and maybe the “Q” from the LGBTQ acronym banner into his inner thoughts.

Working for a rematch with Quinn, Decima prepares to fight Wilfred Vinal (Julian Joaquin), a slouching and tattered personage, where, in public, Vinal accuses Decima of being “maricon” (gay), a way of getting into his head, but little does he know. Decima’s esprit de l’escalier comes to him long after the weigh-in and way too late to have any impact on the fight.   

The managers Three-Finger Jack and Alacran manages to get their shots about their boxers.  Old school they brush aside each fighter’s sexuality.  Little do they know or maybe they want to ignore.

Quinn finds solace in friend Garnet (Dennis Renard) an entertainer that imitates popular black recording artists. But their friendship is tested when Quinn wants more from their relationship to which Garnet is entirely uncomfortable.

Nice work from Peter Mendoza as Pedro Quinn last seen in Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue at the Kirk Douglas Theatre.  Mendoza had a lot more going as Quinn and it is the growth in the craft that one likes to see.

Melinna Bobadilla was Sarita Malacara (bad face).  Bobadilla gave the character strength and purpose.

Julian Joaquin as Wilfred Vinal has a unique presence on stage but other than creating a nuisance little is know about his objective and his purpose on stage. His underlying want is lost in his unpredictability to create havoc.

Charlie Hofheimer gives a good turn as the Referee, Reporter and Announcer.  He has a trace of a northeastern accent that seemed to stay with all of the characters he played.

Armando McClain does justice to the role of Mantequilla Decima, the Cuban who is slightly confused. There are more levels to be had given more rehearsals.

Jack Landrón is Three-Finger Jack and was funny throughout although his objective was not clear.  He had all of his digits and one is not sure what the three-finger was all about.

Tom Sandoval was another manager type who played Alacran. Both men pushed buttons to get their fighter to do what they wanted them to do. There is a little more to offer in both of the roles. But, Sandoval did well.

Dennis Renard also does a nice turn as Garnet, an entertainer looking to turn his life into something more than just an imitator. Garnet seems harsh about ending his relationship when he finds out the truth from his friend.

Elisa Bocanegra, the director, mentioned something about 12 hours putting it all together and the night was a complete success as part of the Future Classics Reading Series.  It was a success for the actors, the writer Oliver Mayer, for the director Bocanegra, and for Hero Theatre.

The evening featured musical accompaniment by Bobby Grigas.

Other members of the crew are as follows:

Paul Salcedo – Fight Choreography

Letitia Chang – Stage Manager

Claire Manning – Assistant Director

Joseph Henderson – Videography

Funding for theatre in Los Angeles is very limited and everyone is blessed when that happens. So, if you want to contribute to Hero for their upcoming productions, please visit www.herotheatre.org

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