HOME PAGE SITE GUIDE SEARCH REVIEWS REVIEW ARCHIVES ADVERTISING AT CURTAINUP FEATURES NEWS Etcetera and Short Term Listings LISTINGS Broadway Off-Broadway NYC Restaurants BOOKS and CDs OTHER PLACES Berkshires London California New Jersey DC Connecticut Philadelphia Elsewhere QUOTES TKTS PLAYWRIGHTS' ALBUMS LETTERS TO EDITOR FILM LINKS MISCELLANEOUS Free Updates Masthead |
A CurtainUp DC Review
Destiny of Desire
What is going on here? We are backstage at the taping of a telenovela which is a Latino "art form" similar to a Norte Americano soap opera in a limited-edition series. Some identities are false and infidelity is rampant as this telenovela unfolds like an operatic drama. Not all is as it seems. The same characters re-appear in different episodes each of which ends with a moral, a statistic (unsourced) and a serious thought. The characters are somewhat stock: the father who disowned his son by wife numero uno, now wants the daughter he has with wife numero dos to be the belle of the ball, to bring some much needed "class" to the family. The girl's mother, however, insistently wants her to marry well (i.e. a doctor who is rich.) The poor farmer and his wife lovingly give their all to bring up an idealistic and frail young girl. A greedy doctor unwittingly gives the gift of life to a dying soul; a wicked stepmother with a voracious sexual appetite and a nun who interjects from time to time the doom-filled phrase "it was a stormy night." The repetition of familiar phrases and gestures add greatly to the hilarity of the evening. But unlike slaptstick, which this is not, the farce never goes too far. Credit should go not just to the playwright but to the director, Jose Luis Valenzuela, who holds his ensemble in check. He's dealing with corny material but sends it up to just enough so that the laughs keep coming. It's always hard to know who should take the credit for assembling a perfectly cast ensemble. But surely it was a team effort headed by Valenzuela who is based in LA, as are casting directors Pauline O'Con and Rosalinda Morales, and many of the authentically Latino actors, all of whom embrace the humor with straight faces. Nicholas Rodriguez whose gorgeous voice has been heard at Arena before, most notably when he played Curly in Oklahoma, gives a very strong performance as the prodigal son. Not until the second act does he get a solo but it is well worth the wait. Rayanne Gonzales, as the farmer's wife, also brings true empathy to her solo. On-target in every scene and always dressed to the nines by costume designer Julie Weiss, is Gabriela Fernandez-Coffey as Fabiola, the social-climbing, money-grubbing, femme fatale wife of Armando Castillo (Castulo Guerra), whose casino is referred to as the Monaco of Mexico. Oscar Ceville as Dr. Mendoza and particularly as the casino's dealer is a master of perfect timing. Esperanza America as Pilar Castillo and Elia Saldana at Victoria del Rio, bring a genuine sweetness to their parts. While some of the actors dance like actors rather than dancers, choreographer Robert Barry Fleming gives them slo-mo or exaggerated motions with which to move doors, beds, tables on and off designer Francois-Pierre Couture's suitably slightly tacky set. Fleming even gives them some chances to let loose, but not too loose, with such Latin steps as a cha cha. Spot lights are on the side of the stage of the taping and there are even a couple of very clever "rewinds." But the original music is live and lively thanks to composer/pianist Rosino Serrano. Gracias, Arena y Karen Zacarias y Jose Luis Valenzuela, por las bromas chistosas which means thanks for the funny jokes.
|
|