Theater Review: 57 Chevy

                                        57 Chevy 

We’ve all heard immigration stories. Many of us even have our own. But I’ll wager you’ve never heard one as jaw-droppingly funny, startling, touching and just plain wonderful as “57 Chevy,” Cris Franco’s one-man play streaming through Aug. 15 from San Diego Repertory Theatre.

Actor Ricardo Salinas performs the magic, providing all of the above elements while playing all the parts, occasionally in a rat-a-tat style you won’t believe.

Franco’s dad, Cristóbal Sr., grew up in Mexico “dirt poor,” but grew up to become a fine car mechanic. He wanted to move his family (three girls and the baby Cris at the time) to the U.S. One day he stopped on the road to help a woman named Mimi Barnes, whose car had broken down. Mimi was extremely thankful, and since she worked for the U.S. embassy, her connections got him papers and a job with an American mechanic in Los Angeles who needed help.

He bought the 57 Chevy and drove to Mexico to get the family and start their own American dream. On the way up, Dad entertained them by singing along with the radio ads of the day, and a popular song of the time: “Qué Será, Será.”

They settled in L.A.’s South Central. It was the perfect place: it was ethnically diverse and easy to fit in. 

But a few years later, the Watts riots leveled South Central, and the family moved closer to the elder Franco’s shop in the San Fernando Valley, where everybody looked the same (Cris called it the “Same Fernando Valley”) and the kids were enrolled in the local Catholic school, “Our Lady of Perpetual Chastity.”

Cris’ dad wants him to be “a doctor, a lawyer or at least an engineer,” to make plenty of money for that other local deity, “Our Lady of Perpetual Tuition,” but Cris has other ideas: he wants to be a writer. How will they work this out?

The story is charming and funny on its own, but what makes the show tick is Salinas’ masterful ability to become dozens of different people, changing genders, ages, speaking styles and hats along the way. It’s a wonder to see.

But the most impressive feat is his story about becoming an altar boy. He decided to serve the first mass, because he would be the only altar boy at that service, and “Jesus didn’t move much, so I was the center of attention.” One morning the priest was in a hurry to get to a golf game. You won’t believe the speed with which Salinas gets through that mass. It’s astonishing.

Technically, this show is great too. Mextly Couzin’s amazingly jam-packed set is a wonder in itself, not to mention Carmen Amon’s wondrous costumes. Matt Lescault-Wood’s sound design, Fred Lanuza’s music, Elizabeth Barrett’s projections and Tim Powell’s cinematography all add depth and humor to the show.

But Salinas is really the show: a magician with a funny, affecting and charming tale to tell. Don’t miss this show.

“57 Chevy” streams through August 15 from San Diego Repertory Theatre.

Tickets at sdrep.org.