Theater Review: In the Heights

 

Great news: Usnavi and Sonny are back on the boards at San Diego Musical Theatre. And so are the girls in the beauty shop, Rosario’s taxi service, Abuela Claudia and the other Latinos living in New York’s Washington Heights. 

SDMT brings us Lin-Manuel Miranda’s lovable, charming “In the Heights” through June 5. And that’s good news in any language.

It’s a hot summer day in New York City, where Usnavi de la Vega (Sebastian Montenegro) runs his small bodega with the questionable help of his lazy cousin Sonny (Charlie Orozco). Usnavi’s bored with New York and yearns to return to his Dominican Republic roots. He’s been trying to save up the money to do so.

Usnavi has a thing for the lovely Vanessa (Arianna Vila), who works in the beauty salon with Daniela (Lena Ceja). His “thing” is mutual. Will they both leave New York?

Kevin (Berto Fernández), owner of the taxi service, is intent on making enough money to keep his wife Camila (Daisy Martínez) and daughter Nina (Vanessa Orozco) comfortable, and is anxiously awaiting Nina’s arrival from her first semester at Stanford. Kevin has big plans for her, and is annoyed when he finds out she has a thing for his employee Benny (Jordan Markus), who isn’t even Latino, but black.

The local Piragua Guy (Ramiro Garcia, Jr.), pushes around his ice cream cart, and local wannabe artist Graffiti Pete (Tommy Tran) adds his sometimes unappreciated talents to local spaces.

But the spiritual leader in this group is everybody’s grandma, Abuela Claudia (Analía Romero). An early emigré from Cuba, she isn’t related to any of them by blood, though she did raise Usnavi after his parents died. But everyone acknowledges her as the heart of the neighborhood.

It’s impossible not to love this show. Quiara Alegría Hudes wrote the book, and America’s favorite musical wunderkind Miranda (who later will give us “Hamilton,” which I call one of the two greatest American musicals ever written)

here gives us a homey charmer of a show featuring a passel of characters who engage, amuse and fascinate. 

The show boasts a fine cast all around, complete with great songs and terrifically athletic dancing (credit Laurie Muñiz for the choreography).

Mathys Herbert’s versatile design sets the scene. Janet Pitcher’s costumes and Albee Alvarado’s hair and wig designs are wonderful. Lighting and sound are well handled by Michelle Miles and Derek Brener, respectively.

The Broadway version of this show was nominated for 13 Tonys and won four.  See why through June 5 at San Diego Musical Theatre.

The details

“In the Heights” runs through June 5, 2022 at San Diego Musical Theatre, 4650 Mercury Street, San Diego 92111.

Tickets: (858) 560-5740 or sdmt.org

Film Review: Emergency

                      Emergency

Here’s a nightmare scenario for you: Imagine you’re a couple of black graduating college seniors about to embark on a spring break evening of partying with friends and roommates. But when you return to the apartment, you find an unknown white female passed out on the floor.

Kunle (Donald Elise Watkins) and Sean (RJ Cyler) find themselves in just this situation. Kunle is finishing his science experiment on molds, the results of which may determine whether or not he gets into Princeton. He wants to call the cops, but Sean figures they will be blamed for drugging the girl. 

It seems their third, Latino roommate Carlos (Sebastian Chacon) left the door open, and now they need to figure out what to do with “Goldilocks” (real name:  Emma, played by Maddie Nichols).

What to do if you’re more afraid of what might happen if you call 911 than you are of the emergency itself? That’s the subject of Carey Williams and K.D. Dávila’s “Emergency.”

 

They load her into Sean’s van with the intention of finding someplace safe to take her. So begins a scary, chaotic and sometimes funny chase story.

“Emergency” began as a Sundance short film of the same name which won a Special Jury Prize in 2018. Now it begins life as a full-length film.

The added length seems a little tacked-on: Emma, now asleep in the van, wakes up and needs a bathroom. She throws up a few times. A taillight goes out on the van (are the cops nearby?). When they park in a neighborhood, they are not welcomed by the residents there.

The film goes on like that until it finally ends, Kunle and Sean get closer than ever as friends (and Watkins and Cyler are excellent in portraying the growing friendship), and all ends more or less well.

But the topic is important: Minorities often do have a real fear of any kind of contact with police (watch the news any day of the week if you wonder why), and we as a society need to work on that.

“Emergency” opens May 20, 2022 at Landmark Hillcrest and May 27 on Prime Video.

Theater Review: Mala

                     Melinda Lopez in "Mala"

“Mala” is a piece like none you have ever seen. I say that confidently, having heard several people (myself included) walk out of the show saying that very thing.

Melinda Lopez, a Cuban American playwright and actor of some renown, has written and performs a breathtaking solo piece about something most of us will face at some point: the physical decline and eventual death of parents.

Her presentation is astonishingly, sometimes brutally honest, but also surprising, compassionate and often even funny. It runs through June 12 at The Old Globe’s White Theatre.

Caring for an elderly parent can be a gift, but can also be hard, especially in Mala’s case. Her mother, a force of nature, was always the one to get things done – until the time when she fell and failed to understand why she woke up under the table. But she refused to go to the hospital because “it didn’t seem necessary.” She is eventually diagnosed with a subdural hematoma.

Her gradual loss of independence is compounded by dementia and growing impatience. She’s not used to being either waited on or told what to do, so when Mala tries to get her to do something, the response is often a hissed “Mala!” that makes caregiving that much harder.

The word “mala” means “bad,” but when the word is hurled at her by her mother, it means more like bad to the core. 

How can we cope in challenging situations like this? With a lot of patience and as much humor as one can muster.  “I didn’t know how hard it is to be everything to someone who needs it,” Mala notes.

Mala’s father will also fall; he will break his hip. Not as set against medical help as his wife, he will go to “a place” where he will be given morphine and eventually die of hypoxia – or, as Mala puts it, “not breathing.”)

The show is helped by a fine set: a living room with hardwood floors, a small table and a chest. The set is surrounded by white sparkly “snow,” telling us Mala lives in a cold climate.

Lopez handles her job extremely well, walking around and letting everyone in the audience see her and her expressions. She’s been well miked so that all can hear everything she says.

“Mala” is a piece that should be seen. Yadira Correa will perform a Spanish language version from May 29 to June 12 (dates below).

The details

The English schedule for “Mala” is Tuesday and Wednesday at 7 p.m.; Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday at 2 and 7 p.m.

The Spanish language schedule (by Yadira Correa) is Thursday, May 19 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, May 21 at 8 p.m.; Tuesday, May 24 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, May 28 at 2 p.m.; Wednesday, June 1 at 7 p.m.; Sunday, June 5 at 7 p.m.; Friday, June 10 at 8 p.m.; Sunday, June 12 at 2 p.m.

Tickets: www.TheOldGlobe.org or (619) 234-5623

Film Review: Mascarpone

                                        Carlo Calderone and Giancarlo Commare

Mascarpone is that rich, white cheese made of heavy cream, treated with acid and run through cheesecloth to remove excess liquid. It’s used in the famous Italian dessert tiramisú.

Now “Mascarpone” is the title of an Italian gay romcom by Directors Alessandro Guida and Matteo Pilati, originally titled “Maschile Singolare.”

Here’s the setup: Two guys named Antonio (Giancarlo Commare) and Lorenzo (Carlo Calderone) met and fell in love at the gym and married some 12 years ago. But now they are about to split because Lorenzo has fallen for somebody else.

Antonio, a a sensitive soul of 30, is crushed. Worse, he’s in need of a place to live and a job that will support him. Antonio moves in with a free-spirited, confident blond named Denis (Eduardo Valdarnini), who is very willing to rent his spare room for 200 euros a month.

When Denis finds out Antonio likes to bake, he introduces him to a friend named Luca (Gianmarco Saurino ), who runs a bakery. Then Antonio signs up for a baking class to learn how to make things like (you guessed it) tiramisú.

But this isn’t really about food or cooking or even the gay lifestyle (though you’ll see plenty of hot guys and nudity). What it does extremely well is illustrate how Antonio handles the pursuit of something he never expected to need: independence.

Denis, who seems at times to be money-grubbing, soon sees that Antonio needs some help in this department, and he’s there to give it. He also 

counsels that self-love is the basis of all love. But first Antonio needs to grow up and set some goals. 

The acting here is excellent. Commare’s Antonio is sweet soul and, like all the characters, relatable and appealing. I could quibble about why Antonio flits so quickly and willingly from one meaningless conquest to another if he’s in search of himself, but he’s at least interesting to watch.

Valdarnini’s Denis is a gem, great with the quips but always there when Antonio needs help.

The film is full of great-looking Italian guys and occasional food porn. If you’re in the market for an engaging gay romcom, you could do a lot worse than “Mascarpone.”  

Film Review: We Need To Talk

Video games inspire their own personality types, I guess. I’m not a gamer, but I’m happy to report that I was amused by writer/director Todd Wolfe’s short feature “We Need to Talk.”

The star here is a video game influencer who calls himself Great Scott (James Maslow), complete with T-shirt. I had to look up the term “influencer,” which shows you how far out of gaming I am.

Scott’s work (if you can call it that) is to allow his fans to watch him play new video games and listen to him comment on them on the way by. His knowledge of gaming –  and his sense of humor – have attracted a pretty good audience.

What could go wrong? Scott is even lucky enough to have a beautiful girlfriend named Aly (Christal Khalil), who one day, as she walks out the door, says “We need to talk.”

Now that’s a locution I understand. It’s fraught with all kinds of possibilities, none of them positive.

Poor old Scott is also aware of that, and we get to watch his Iife disintegrate before our eyes, pondering what she meant by that. He’ll spend the rest of the film looking for the answer (just calling Aly doesn’t work).

But hey, you say, here’s a guy with millions of fans who depend on his analysis of the latest games. What’s the problem? Well, Scott may come across as all-knowing in the unreal world, but deep down he’s got some earthbound insecurities that he likes to pretend don’t exist. And “We need to talk” does not help.

Wolfe has created a delightful, funny, and even thought-provoking piece that just might make us all reflect a bit on how to treat those people who fill our days (and nights) with work, amusement, delight and even love.

“We Need To Talk” is short (about an hour and a half), snappy and fun to watch. It will be released on digital platforms from Global Digital Releasing on May 13.

 

Film Review: Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

        (Sorry, folks; can't figure out how to get the photos in here.)                                

Warning: This film has an endless title (“Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”), and this review contains vulgarity you will not find in my typical reviews. If you’re not up for it, skip it.

Let’s face it, wherever Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) goes, shit happens. Now he’s back, not just in the world but in “the Multiverse of Madness” (not that the whole series isn’t madness, understand; it’s that “multiverse” thing that sets this one apart). 

I guess Marvel decided that he’s had it too easy, and besides, they’re tired of the series, so in this end-of-series film, shit happens not just in the here and now but in “alternate universes” (huh? that’s what I said too), and it seems Strange isn’t in control of which and when and what and who.

Some of the usual gang is here: Strange’s buddy Wong is along for the ride, and so is Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), that native of Sokovia, a sorceress herself who knows how to harness Chaos Magic (but not the chaos in this film, apparently). She wears that funny black headpiece, goes crazy herself, and eventually manages to manipulate a whole town into a reality she likes, where she becomes the Scarlet Witch.

Still with me? Let’s not forget Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams), a surgeon and former colleague of Strange. They almost had a romance until his massive egotism got in the way. Here, she marries someone else and Strange messes up the festivities (what a shock).

Oh, and Strange’s buddy Wong (Benedict Wong) shows up too, and tries to keep him anchored to some semblance of reality.

But that can’t happen, because this film is just telling us good-bye forever, but before we go, here’s some more nonsense for you to giggle about.

This time Director Sam Raimi has filmed in Norway, where it’s easy to make things look really cold and inhospitable, and maybe you’d be more likely to accept the craziness you’ll see.

Nah. Just look at all the nonsense and realize that this is the last time you’ll see these characters, these maga monsters and the whole idea of Dr. Strange et al.

From my perspective, there’s too much weirdness, too much stuff blowing up, disintegrating or changing into other forms or other universes to keep me interested. Two plus hours of this shit is just a tad too much. No, it’s way too much.

So long, Dr. Strange. I won’t miss you.

Theater Review: Mother of the Maid

              Jennifer Eve Thorn as Joan of Arc's mother

Everyone knows about Joan of Arc, the young girl who claimed that St. Catherine told her she was sent by God to expel France’s enemies and install Charles as its rightful king.

But imagine what her mother Isabelle said when Joan told her that. What would your mother say?

Playwright Jane Anderson’s fascinating imaginary tale “Mother of the Maid” lets us in on the reaction Mom Isabelle and dad Jacques may have had when she announced the news. You can see this terrific production through May 22 at Moxie Theatre.

Moxie’s Executive Artistic Director Jennifer Eve Thorn takes the stage for the first time in some years, narrating the story as Joan’s mother Isabelle. Isabelle is religious herself, but thinks 13-year-old Joan might just be, you know, imagining things. 

But Joan (Mikaela Rae Macias), the young daughter of French tenant farmers, seems totally convinced that she’s obeying “orders” from the saint. Much to her mom’s distress, she also seems to enjoy dressing in boys’ clothes and thinking about swords and battling those English invaders. How can a mom deal with that?

Thorn is brilliant as she tries to talk Joan out of it, pointing out minor issues like the fact that girls don’t lead armies. But Joan is not to be dissuaded (and priest Father Gilbert, played by Moxie veteran Mark C. Petrich, agrees), so mom goes to court herself, where other amusing and annoying things happen. She meets Nicole (Sarah Alida LeClair), a Lady of the Court, and gets a taste of what it’s like to be rich. Nicole even offers to teach Joan to read. 

Joan gets a little sword work in with her brother Pierre (Zack King). And Sergio Diaz-Delgado does fine double duty as a Guard and a Scribe.

Dad Jacques (Dave Rivas) has work to do on the farm and doesn’t interfere with Joan’s plans. Try as she will, Estelle can’t change Joan’s mind, and the story will play out as history has told us.

Bravo to Director Desireé Clarke for bringing this team to the highest performance level imaginable. It’s a sad story, but a wonderful retelling, told with heart, warmth and excellent acting and stagecraft all around. 

Bravo also to the creative and technical team: set designer Yi-Chien Lee, costume designer Courtney Ohnstad, lighting designer Annelise Raquel Salazar, sound designer Rachel MacDougall Le Vine, props designer Amy Chini, technical director Nathan Waits and scenic artist Julie Lorenz.

“Mother of the Maid” one of the best plays of the year. Don’t miss it.

The details

“Mother of the Maid” plays through May 22, 2022 at Moxie Theatre, 6663 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego.

Shows Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. There will be an ASL performance May 15 at 2 p.m.

Tickets: (858)598-7620