Miss You Like Hell

C

Take some social issues — an unforgiving immigration policy, a broken justice system, suicidal teenage depression, Latin pride, same-sex marriage — add music, shake lightly, sprinkle with a dash of feminism, and you might end up with something like the new musical at the Public Theater. The book by Pulitzer winner Quiara Alegria Hudes (In the Heights, Water by the Spoonful) is actually a reworking and musicalization of her earlier play 26 Miles. The two principal characters are Beatriz (Daphne Rubin-Vega; Daphne's Dive, Rent), an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, and Olivia (Gizel Jimenez; Party People), the 16-year-old daughter she had with an Anglo-American. Olivia lives with her father in Philadelphia and has not seen her mother in four years since Beatriz took off for California. Beatriz suddenly shows up in the middle of the night, allegedly to spend a week with her daughter after reading her suicidal threats on her blog “Castaways.” Her ulterior motive is to get Olivia to California to testify as a character witness in her final hearing before possible deportation. How a 16-year-daughter who hasn’t seen her mother in four years could serve as a plausible character witness is one of the weakest plot points. Olivia reluctantly agrees on the condition that they stop at Yellowstone so she can meet Pearl (Latoya Edwards; Polkadots), a young park ranger who is a loyal reader of her blog. Along the way they meet Higgins (David Patrick Kelly; Once) and Mo (Michael Mulheren; Kiss Me, Kate), a gay couple who are on a mission to renew their vows in all 50 states, and Manuel (Danny Bolero; In the Heights), a widowed tamale vendor. The diverse ensemble cast also includes Marinda Anderson, Andrew Cristi, Shawna M. Hamic and Marcus Paul James. Ms. Rubin-Vega and Ms. Jimenez are both quite strong in their roles. The music by Erin McKeown, in a variety of generic styles, is serviceable. The scenic design by Riccardo Hernandez (Indecent, The Invisible Hand) reconfigures the Newman Theater to offer a deep square stage platform with two rows of audience seats on the sides and seats for the performers at the rear. Emilio Sosa (On Your Feet!, Sex with Strangers) has costumed the characters aptly. The lighting design by Tyler Micoleau is important to varying the mood. Lear deBessonet (The Tempest, Venus) directed. I really wanted to like it, but was disappointed that it did not offer any real illumination on the many issues it touched on. Honesty requires that I report that most of the audience seemed quite enthusiastic. Running time: one hour 40 minutes, no intermission.

Daphne's Dive **

The barroom drama is not a genre that I have ever had an affinity for. Nothing about Quiara Algeria Hudes’s latest play at Signature Theatre has changed my opinion, although I will grant that, unlike some, it at least avoids focusing on a group of alcoholics. Set in the eponymous North Philly bar over an 18-year period, the play introduces us to the strangely reticent bar owner Daphne (Vanessa Aspillaga) and her adopted daughter Ruby (Samira Wiley), whom she rescued from an abusive family when Ruby was 11. We also meet Inez (Daphne Rubin-Vega). Daphne’s older sister who has married Acosta (Carlos Gomez), a wealthy entrepreneur from the hood, and moved to a Main Line suburb. Three denizens of the bar who all look to Acosta for favors are Pablo (Matt Saldivar), an artist who likes to paint garbage; Rey (Gordon Joseph Weiss), a reluctant day laborer who only works enough to support his beloved motorcycle; and Jenn (KK Moggie), a seemingly free-spirited political activist/performance artist. In six scenes that take Ruby from age 11 to 29 (and back again), we follow the changes in these characters over the years. Unfortunately, most of their stories are not that compelling and Hudes does not take us very deeply into their motivation. If I didn’t already know that the playwright had won a Pulitzer Prize (for her play “Water by the Spoonful”), I would not have guessed it from the present work. The actors are fine, the set (by Donyale Werle) is evocative, the costumes (by Toni-Leslie James) are appropriate, the direction (by Thomas Kail) is assured, but somehow, for me at least, the payoff was meager. Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes; no intermission. NOTE: Avoid row A because of a high stage.

The Happiest Song Plays Last *

The final play in Quiara Alegria Hudes's Elliot Trilogy is now in previews at Second Stage Theatre. Since I mostly enjoyed their production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning second installment, Water by the Spoonful, a little over a year ago, I was looking forward to the third play. I am sorry to report that the final play is a big step backwards from its predecessor. It is an unfocused melange of plot lines that are long on talk and short on cohesion -- community activism, after effects of the Iraq War, the important role of music in Puerto Rican culture, docudrama moviemaking, the events of Tahrir Square, the middle-aged desire to procreate, emergency room failings, and on and on. The focus is once more on Elliot (Armando Riesco again) and Yaz (Lauren Velez), Puerto Rican-American cousins from North Philadelphia. Elliot, a former Marine who served in Iraq is in Jordan making a film about the war. The film's female lead is Shar (Annapurna Sriram), an attractive actress with some Iranian and Egyptian blood. Their driver is Ali (Dariush Kashani), a refugee from Iraq trying to survive in Jordan. Back in Philly, Yaz has abandoned life in an upscale highrise for a house in the hood, where she cooks for and looks after her needy neighbors, especially Lefty (Anthony Chisholm), a homeless man. One of her neighbors is Agustin (Tony Plana) an alcoholic musician 20 years her senior who would like to have a baby with her. The action, such as it is, jumps back and forth among these characters with little effect. A polemic outburst in the second act seems to come out of nowhere. Allegedly, much of the material is autobiographical. Unfortunately it has not been shaped into a unified whole. A three-piece band provides welcome musical interludes that briefly stop the endless talk. Michael Carnahan's massive wooden slat set suggests Puerto Rico rather than either Philadelphia or Jordan. The usually fine Ruben Santiago-Hudson does not show a sure directorial hand. Fans of the television show "Ugly Betty" will at least enjoy the opportunity to see Plana and Velez together again. Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes including intermission.

Water by the Spoonful ***

(Please click on the title to see the complete review.)
Being awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama raised high expectations for Quiara Alegria Hudes' drama now in previews at Second Stage. By and large, these expectations were met. Even though the play did not fully win me over, I can easily understand why it was selected for the Pulitzer. Its ambition and complexity are admirable. In the first act, there are alternating scenes with two different sets of characters. A pair of Puerto Rican-American cousins, Elliot (Armando Riesco), an ex-Marine who was injured in Iraq, and Yaz (Zabryna Guevara), who teaches music at Swarthmore, are dealing with the illness of a relative. When the scene shifts, we meet Chutes and Ladders (Frankie Faison), Orangutan (Sue Jean Kim) and Fountainhead (Bill Heck) who, we gradually realize, are in a chat room for crack addicts moderated by Haikumom a/k/a Odessa (Liza Colon-Zayas). Ryan Shams also appears in three small roles. The connection between the two groups is not revealed until just before intermission. During the second act, their relationships develop and shift as they confront or avoid their personal demons. Some of these relationships are less than convincing.  Davis McCallum's assured direction handles the rapid changes of scene and characters smoothly. Neil Patel's scenic design is dominated by an abstract backdrop suggesting an aerial view of a rock garden. (Is this a trend? The set for "The Great God Pan" was also a scene from nature.) This play is the second in a trilogy in which Elliot plays a central role. I am sorry not to have seen the first one, but I look forward to catching the final one before too long. Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes including intermission.