Evolution of a Sonero by Flaco Navaja

Flaco Navaja photos by Victoria Sanders

 

 

By Joe Straw

 

 

"Dicen que bailar mambo es como hablar con los ángeles”

 

Hundreds of invitations from press agents fly into my computer emails. And one person shows seems to be the thing these days - the probable cause being the pandemic which has led to some incredible thinking about performance in a space.  

 

My preference is to see at least two actors interacting because the interaction provides a glimpse of reality through the craft sometimes played out in the extreme in action, reaction, and emotions so deep and connecting that it drives ones' sensations to critical levels.  

 

So, one must wing it sometimes.  What is my relationship to the man, the artist? And how does the journey move me as a critical spectator?

 

Flaco Navaja brings it,

Sings it.

from the Puerto Rican

bowels of the Bronx

expressing the songs

in a syncopating

rhythm

and raising his arms

like he’s guided

by a creator

pulling invisible

marionette strings

serendipitously

feet never touching

the floor

What is life?

If it’s not

charmed

enigmatic

evolution

  

 

Latino Theater Company presents Evolution of a Sonero written and performed by Flaco Navaja, directed by Miranda Gozález, produced in association with the Urban Theater Company through May 28, 2022.

 

The Latino Theater Company presented a packed house on this night. And as one looked about the room, everyone knew everyone else, tons of hugs and laughter filled the auditorium awaiting the respectable spectacle. Most were decked in colorful garb, and in just a very good mood.  And it stayed that way throughout the 90-minute delightful presentation.

 

 

Flaco Navaja gave an inspired and physically creative performance. The Evolution of a Sonero mixes song, poetry, and the telling of stories from his past and through his eyes. The joyfulness is in the imitations and the humor that accompanies his observations of life.   

 

And specifically, Navaja tells the story of how the music defined his life, and how the night came to be. And he does this by relating the sonero, the mechanics of music, to the significant moments in his journey. Those moments are often hilarious, sometimes soul searching, but told with the love he has in his performance of a song, his unraveling life, and the storytelling that accompanies his passage.  

 

Navaja is backed by The Razor Blades, a sextet featuring Carlos Ordiano on piano, Edward Resto on electriBass, Juan Moreno on congas, Richard Velzen on trombome, Joey De Leon on Timbales, and Gener Miguel López Alcantara on timbales (sub).

 

Flaco Navaja

 

 

There is something here, something that can be significant if the pieces, directed by Miranda González, sedulously lined up with the theatre gods and the book of this musical.  The underlying bridge may not work, that being his first arrest at school, and is not dramatic enough to take us away from whatever may be the verse or the chorus.  The clave-key-code is a little more direct with his start of his parents meeting in 1964 giving us an insight to his humble beginning, his first musical interlude in the third grade.  The mambo is a little more unswerving with his call for prayer, and for the answers to his life disrupted by drugs.  There is very little in the story of the pain that must be overcome with addiction and that specifically needs to be highlighted. Finally, the coda is the end, it may be the end of the night, but not the end of the story. If the theatrical harmony is possible, it is only possible with a clear definition and harmoniously in tune with the result.

 

The night was exceptional, the audience sang along, and they were up on their feet on this night swaying the sounds of this remarkable band.   

 

The Urban Theater Company, founded by Marilyn Camacho, Madrid St. Angelo, and Ivan Vega in 2005 in Chicago, Illinois and is “deeply rooted in their (Latino) community and culture.”

 

https://urbantheaterchicago.org/about-us/

 

The wonderful night would not have been possible without the help of this fantastic crew:

 

Manuel Ortiz – Scenic Design

Sarah Albrecht – Costume Design

Lighting Design – Ellie Humphrys

Carlos Ordiano – Musical Director

Iván Vega – Co-Producer

Antonio Bruno – Co-Producer

Miranda González – Co-Producer

Illiana Citlaly Solorzano – Stage Manager

May Fei – Production Manager

 

Para mis amigos hispanohablantes, mis disculpas, mi español no es tan bueno como me gustaría.

 

Run! Run! Run! And take your Puerto Rican friend. I did and we had a great time.

 

Twitter: @joestraw9

 

Sharing or comments are greatly appreciated. 

The Los Angeles Theatre Center
514 S. Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013

Favorite Cousins by Written by Lindsey Haley

 

By Joe Straw

 

The light that illuminates a human being and clarifies the character is something one finds totally gratifying. In that respect, one is open to the unlimited possibilities.  

 

Casa 0101 is one of my favorite theatres in Los Angeles.  It is a warm place and very inviting for developing Latino writers and directors. On this night one is here to see a play that is the composition of Latina writer Lindsey Haley and Latina director Vilma Villela.

 

Favorite Cousins by Lindsey Haley, directed by Vilma Villela, and produced by Emmanuel Deleage is now playing at Casa 0101 through May 21, 2023, in the newly named Gloria Molina Auditorium.  

 

Los Angeles is the land of dreamers, those who put forth the effort to create in whatever limited time they have, always thinking about the next step to move forward in that act of creation. So, one must applaud the creators of this play, that they moved, in some kind of uniformity to put on a play before an audience, tall and small, young and old, to all who are open to receive what they have offered on this night.

 

As it comes to all people, someone has died, a grandmother (una abuela), their grandmother, she had a home in Santa Monica that she has sold to Junior (Daniel Ruiz) to pay for her medical bills. He is planning to sell it, and the ones that will be doing the cleaning up are her granddaughters Gloria (Raquel Salinas) and Frances (Vanessa Arias-Herra) with the help of their Comadre Josephine (Tina D’Marco).

 

Josephine is a friend to the family, a neighbor, someone who helped when that need came. She is going through a box of photographs, commenting on the times and the things that made her happy.

 

To her, it seems a shame the family had to give up their home that they’ve had in the family for many generations. The family has been living there since the opening of the Santa Monica Pier in 1909.  

 

Gloria, busy putting things in boxes, takes a break and sits beside her to reminisce.  They await the arrival of Gloria’s cousin Frances.

 

Frances, arrives, all decked out, jewelry, fancy purse, and a black dress, designer no doubt. Not something someone would wear when cleaning up a home but there you have it. But the moment Frances opens the door she ignores her cousin Gloria and greets her Comadre Josephine with open arms.

 

Hope is critical to this play.  It is the driving force that brings the two women (cousins) together despite their conflict and without love there is no hope.

 

All plays are a work in progress (even the ones headed to Broadway), and Lindsey Haley’s work found a very appreciative crowd on this night. There are many things that are so unique and warm about this play, things that worked, and other things that did not work. It is mainly the collaboration between the actors and the director that finds the significant moments to accentuate and to move the play forward. They were once favorite cousins, now they are not. The conflict seems too great to overcome and yet they manage to find a way.

 

This is a five-character play - however there are a multitude of characters in the proverbial wings - Berto, Linda, Joey, Kiki (Enrique), Marcos, Armando, parents, grandmother, other cousins they didn’t know about, and spouses.  Keeping it a little simpler, and defining the characters would help the play along.

 

 

 

Finding a way to become favorite cousins again becomes the way the players move – a through line to accomplish their goals. And while Vilma Villela, the director, moves them in that direction it starts and stops in ways that does not move the character to a satisfying end. If the tree and the roses are set pieces, then she must find a way to use them.  (Also, as a practical note: The art piece of the tree with the names of people murdered by guns in the neighborhood may not be a good selling point when you’re trying to sell the house.)  The play has two other characters as well that would be well to have a connection with the ladies that are in the house. A possible way is for them to enter the bedroom as Junior is showing the house.  As it divides the women in the scene, it would also unite them, or move them closer together.   

 

Raquel Salinas must make a choice in the type of character she wants to be. She is rough around the edges, we get that. But she has got a timeline to clear the house and she does little to get that done.  Her boxes remain empty for the first twenty minutes of the play.  She has beer, lots of it sitting on the vanity, but makes a choice to drink very little of it. Whether that is purposeful remains to be seen. And when her cousin enters the bedroom, someone must connect, or at least try to in the opening moments, whether it’s emotional or physical there must be that effort of trying, conflict, or no conflict. Give that opening moment a chance to make a meaningful connection. There’s a huge history in their backstory that gets ignored when that connection is not made.

 

Vanessa Arias-Herrera as Frances has a different backstory and must bring that story to light the moment she enters the room. Frances rolls into the room with her bankers’ boxes but must also feel the weight on her shoulders when she steps into her childhood home. She needs her cousin, and we must see that in the opening moments until her pride gets in her way.   Also, (and this may be me) but doing business for the sake of doing something on stage doesn’t move the play along. A case in point, Frances takes out neatly folded clothes in the chest of drawers only to neatly fold them again to put them in the boxes, rather than taking the neatly folded clothes and putting them in the box.

 

Daniel Ruiz plays Junior on this night. Ruiz has a strong voice but has a lot more work to do to give the character a stronger objective and to create a relationship to the two women in the house. There is much to highlight in this beautiful home in Santa Monica except the tree which he must somehow hide.   His objective must be to get the best price for his home. If the women are in the house, and looking out the window, he must tell them that he’s got it all under control, dialogue, or no dialogue.

 

Scott Golden is Tim, the prospective home buyer, and he does remarkably well for the short time he is on stage.

 

Tina D’Marco plays Comadre Josephine and is a longtime family friend. This is a very peculiar role for this character. In the opening moments she is looking through old photographs as though she was part of the family, the appearance of this action suggests that she is a family member and is confusing when trying to find out who this person is which we get later in the dialogue. But to give this character more life, she is after all the comic foil, she should create some action for us to know who she really is. It is something to give the character a three dimensional life. There are a thousand creative choices she can make but make she must.

 

Tricia Cruz and Johnny Ortiz did not perform the night I attended.

 

 

 

Marco De Leon has given the actors a beautiful set from which to make their magic. It is both functional and is a living and breathing bedroom set in Santa Monica masterfully built by Jeremiah Ocañas.  Doreen Sanchez adds to the beautiful home as the prop master.

 

Other members of the production team are as follows:

 

Max Brother – Technical Director/Sound Designer

Kevin Vasquez – Lighting Designer

Daniel Corona – Stage Manager

Al Aguilar – Production Assistant

Steve Moyer – Publicist

Itzel Ocampo - Art Design/Casa 0101 Administrator

Production Photographer – LeeAnna “Sparky” Bowman-Carpio

Soap Studio, Inc. – Playbill Design  

 

www.casa0101.org/tickets

 

Whittier Boulevard by Evelina Fernández, Sal Lopez, Geoffrey Rivas, Lucky Rodriguez, and José Luis Valenzuela

Geoffrey Rivas, Sal López, Lucy Rodriguez
Photos by Grettel Cortes Photography

 

By Joe Straw

The man to my right, covered in tattoos, unshaven with a long mustache, was wearing what appeared to be a bare sleeved green t-shirt (una camiseta verde) on this theatrical night. To his left side he had two glasses of beer one full and the other half full.  (Se tomó dos vasos de cerveza.)  Finished at a little after eight, he went out and got another two glasses of beer. He didn’t appear to be happy, never smiled or spoke to anyone, possibly a self-imposed silence, he just drank and waited patiently for the outcome. One imagined he felt that much better when the lights eventually dimmed at twenty minutes after eight in a packed auditorium.

 

Whittier Boulevard is a great title that conjures up memories, mostly visuals of cruising cars.  The second thing that comes to mind is the film Sunset Boulevard with William Holden and Gloria Swanson and their relationship which was never meant to be.  

 

There are no cruising cars in this play (rats) but there are peculiar relationships here and that may be one of many reasons you want to venture out and see this theatrical event.

 

Latino Theatre Company presents Whittier Boulevard written by Evelina Fernández, Sal Lopez, Geoffrey Rivas, Lucy Rodriguez, and José Luis Valenzuela, directed by José Luis Valenzuela through May 28, 2023.

 

Veronica (Evelina Fernández) is an aging actress which is never a good thing especially in Hollywood. But it’s even worse now in year of 2042 in Los Angeles where everyone, unattached and turning 75 years of age, are immediately taken from their homes to cruise their last trip down Whittier Boulevard never to be seen or heard from again.  

 

How ghastly!

 

Today is the day before Veronica’s 75^th birthday and Veronica finds herself alone with only the comfort of her non-compliant assistant Pilar (Lucy Rodriguez) to help her in any way possible.

 

One of the miserable indignities of life as we know it in 2042 is having the police arrive the day before your birthday. Office Roger (Geoffrey Rivas) comes to check on, well let’s just say, prepares Veronica for her trip.  But first he needs all the necessary information from Veronica, matching what they have on record. He also notes that he is her biggest fan, knowing everything she has been in.

 

“..you used to be big.”  “I am big it’s the pictures that got small. “ – Sunset Blvd.  

 

Alas, Veronica is not willing to provide Roger that information readily and with any measure of assurance, offering her assistant Pilar instead to help her in her desperate act of deception with fake documents.

 

But help is on the way, mostly in the help of an acquaintance Pablo (Sal Lopez) who has an answer for her desperation.

 

The writers Fernández, Lopez, Rivas, Rodriguez, and Valenzuela have managed to create a fun filled night of theatre. It is funnier when dealing with character mishaps and less so when speaking about the injustices of laws passed that has destroyed the fabric of human kindness as we know it. But the play takes a hard look at both sides of the political coin with one being a grim dystopian view of life.   

 

José Luis Valenzuela, the director, offers us a visual sumptuous spectacle with neon lights reflecting suits, and colorful patterns that accentuates the spectacle on stage. Time progression is sometimes slowed to a brevity of thought while the characters, in slow motion, take a moment to catch a breath and regroup for another course of action and that’s what makes the night so special.   

 

Lucy Rodriguez, Evelina Fernández,
and Geoffrey Rivas

 

 

Evelina Fernández brings a lot of her own humor to the role standing majestically, her hand crooked with a cigarette in one hand and her left leg extended to complete the pose, part Norman Desmond, “All right, Mr. DeMille I’m ready for my closeup.” and part Miss Havisham with four wedding dresses attached to her being.  One supposes four missed opportunities. 

 

Sal Lopez is always funny as Pablo, a sort of mixed-up character with misguided generosities, who wants to do the right thing. Unfortunately, not everyone agrees and isn’t that always the case. Head up, chest out, arms out with palms up, spinning his hands like Bette Davis trying to make his point. Lopez is always infinitely enlightening and funny. 

 

Evelina Fernández, Geoffrey Rivas,
Lucy Rodriguez and Sal López

 

 

Geoffrey Rivas offers us another look as Roger, the police officer, a malicious specter of the inevitable, and sometimes flamboyant persona, who risks a lot coming out during the night.  Roger is aware of the woman he is dealing with and is willing to give her every opportunity to prove him wrong. That’s hard to do when you’re wearing a police uniform and go by the letter of the law.  Roger is her biggest fan and wants to give her every opportunity not to be cuffed and then escorted down Whittier Boulevard.

 

Lucy Rodriguez is Pilar, an assistant to the star but hasn’t the wherewithal to save her client. Pilar stands insensate without a clear direction and focus. Opportunities missed are opportunities yet to be served.  In the end we know where she winds up, but we don’t see the steps that got her there and the position she assumed when she reaches her destination. Still, there is some very good work on stage.

 

Understudies J. Ed Araiza and Dyana Ortelli did not perform the night I was there.

 

Whittier Boulevard is a visual feast!

 

The upstairs window is long and rectangular.  Enough to let the morning light in and high enough to keep onlookers from peeking in to see a movie star. François-Pierre Couture, Scenic Design, provides us with a setting that is both opulent and claustrophobic depending on the scene.

 

Naila Aladdin Sanders, Costume Design, fills the stage with remarkable costumes.

 

Projection Design by Yee Eun Nam and Yuki Izumihara adds so much creative art to the space including photos of people who have given so much to the community.

 

Other members of this fantastic crew are as follows:

 

Pablo Santiago – Lighting Design

Robert J. Revell – Sound Design and Composer

Urbanie Lucero – Movement

Chantal Rodriguez, PH.D. – Dramaturg

Alexa Wolfe – Stage Manager

Martha Espinoza – Assistant Stage Manager

May Fei – Assistant Director, Sound Design Consultant

Natalie Shahinyan – Assistant Costume Design

Henry Tran – Assistant Lighting Design

John Zalewski – Sound Design Consultant

Nate Rufus Edelman – Production Manager

 

The Los Angeles Theatre Center
514 S. Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013

 

Email: tickets@thelatc.org