A Play With Many Beautiful Aspects That Adds Not Only To The Story’s Magic Realism But Also To Its Mexicanness.
Is there a faster pace than flying? Could it be light speed? I ask because I cannot believe it has been almost two years since I was back in the Los Angeles Theatre Center! Such is life, I guess…the good thing is that here we are, dear reader, back in action on the Los Angeles side and trying to cover more theatre.
The Latino Theatre Company, in celebration of its 41st season and 20th year at the Los Angeles Theatre Center, is presenting the world premiere of The Storyteller of East LA by resident playwright Evelina Fernández. The work was developed in the company’s Circle of Imaginistas playwriting group, a five-year commissioned writing circle with the mission to produce full-length plays by established and early- and mid-career Latinx playwrights.
The plot of this story, as the title says, is set in East Los Angeles, with Mercedes (Lucy Rodriguez), a 90-year-old woman with dementia. Her health is declining and practically bed-bound; her youngest daughter, Grace (Zilah Mendoza), is the caretaker with the help of day and nighttime caregivers. When the ICE raids become more frequent and closer, the night person quits, leaving Grace in a more stressful and frustrated state, considering moving Mercedes into an assisted facility. Lulu (Blanca Isabella), Grace’s daughter, is studying to be a writer and is aiming to document the happenings, while Grace’s older sister, Mary (Brenda Banda), who is mostly MIA, does not agree with Grace’s idea. Josefa (Ruth Livier), the daytime caregiver, is also suffering the consequences of ICE but has an authentic love for Mercedes and offers to take care of her full-time.
The play has many beautiful aspects that round out the story and its intention. Evangelina illustrates Mercedes’s drift through interactions with her guardian angel, Serafina (Sal López), who is sassy and blunt, challenging Mercedes with her arguments and beliefs while also complaining about how humans have evolved and live longer.
The production design, in parallel with that beauty, makes for a moving, aesthetic frame with Prairie T. Trivuth’s set design, with a bed occupying almost all the space, having white lace bedsheets that go all the way to the floor, matching with Naila Aladdin-Sanders’s wardrobe, which has a white lace, jarocha-type dress for Serafina; a creative choice that I thought to be brilliant as it totally adds not only to the magic realism but to the Mexicanness of the piece. John Zalewski’s sound also added to this, having traditional Mexican songs playing or sung throughout the performance. A playlist that is available on Spotify.
Trivuth’s set has two floors, dividing the bedroom from the main dining area with a large frame that encompasses both, while projecting family pictures, courtesy of Yee Eun Nam’s designs, with subtitles in English and Spanish depending on the actors’ lines.
Aladdin-Sanders had Lulu in a youthful, cute ensemble with stockings and boots; her mother, Grace, had a black dress with sandals; and Mary, who is a little rough around the edges, had an animal-print, low-cut one-piece. Josefa is more relaxed in jeans and tennis shoes. Josh Epstein’s lighting contoured the setting with a variety of colors that popped, and during the more difficult scenes, it included one bright light and pointers for the angel and Mercedes’s drifts.
Jose Luis Valenzuela’s direction features strong interactions and portrayals among the cast. My OCD self could not bear the daughters and granddaughter walking around the white lace bed with shoes on. It gave me anxiety. But I get the idea and the purpose behind it, as it also illustrates the unwrapping chaos from Mercedes’s declining health. For me, the interactions between Mercedes and Serafina were solid. Rodriguez conveyed the stages of Mercedes well and giving game to López who did a great job with intention and flair, seamlessly combining dialogue in both English and Spanish. Ruth Livier delivered a good, multi-layered Josefa that truly captured the love for Mercedes.
There is a fantastic scene between Mendoza and Banda that perfectly illustrates the sibling dynamic. Banda also stole a couple of scenes with good comedic ability, and Blanca Isabella is very tender and sweet as Lulu.
Sal is miched while the rest of the cast, I believe, is not. The projection from the actresses might benefit from a lower volume and more space between the lines to even out the frame.
Evelina Fernández truly wrote a love letter to her mother in this play, and it is definitely felt throughout the room. There is a mention of Phoenix Bakery in Chinatown, known for a particular signature cake. For me, it was an added magic realism that went beyond the stage, and I do not know if it was due to the opening weekend, but I hope they keep doing it. As someone who is not from LA and does not live there, it was a true welcome to the city through the play.
The Storyteller of East LA is currently playing Thursday through Sunday, until May 17.
The stage manager is Alexa Wolfe, assisted by Martha Espinoza.
