Buena Vista Social Club

B+

 

This vibrant musical at Atlantic Theater Company was inspired by the bestselling 1997 album of authentic Cuban music from the 1950s played by the musicians who had performed it 40 years before at the long-gone titular venue, as well as by the Oscar-nominated 1999 Wim Wenders documentary about them. The talented director Saheem Ali (Fat Ham) developed the project with David Yazbek (The Band’s Visit) as creative consultant. Marco Ramirez (The Royale) wrote the book. The wonderful music, which is the beating heart of the show, is taken from the original album and its successors. The book, which overcompensates in breadth for what it lacks in depth, touches at least briefly on a lot of themes, including ambition, betrayal, colorism, class, regret and the stirrings of revolution. We meet several of the musicians at the time of the recording and flash back to fictionalized versions of their relationships during the 1950s. Omara (Natalie Venetia Belcon; The Glorious Ones) is a popular recording artist with a reputation as a diva, who condescends to fill in as singer on the album. In her youth, she (Kenya Browne) sang in a touristy sister act at the Tropicana with her sister Haydee (Dayana Esperanza; Mary Jane). When she is introduced to authentic Cuban music at the Buena Vista Social Club, she decides to leave her sister to sing with Ibrahim (Olly Sholotan; “Bel Air”) but his dark skin becomes an obstacle. The old songs played at the recording session stir up old feelings. The musicians are all superb, but I must single out tres player Renesito Avich and flutist Hery Paz for special mention. Choreographers Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck (Carousel) have created some lively nightclub dance numbers for three couples, but their abstract duos for surrogates of the young sisters left me cold. Arnulfo Maldonado’s (A Strange Loop) efficient set combines the seedy club with the recording studio, a seaside promenade and the Tropicana. Dede Ayite’s (Slave Play) costumes are appropriately colorful. At times I wished there were English translations for the songs, but surtitles might have been a distraction. The relative weakness of the book is more than compensated for by the quality of the musical performances. I think I would have enjoyed it just as much, if not more, if they had forgone the book and just presented a concert. Running time: two hours including intermission.

The New Englanders

B

In Jeff Augustin’s (Little Children Dream of God) absorbing new play at Manhattan Theatre Club’s Stage II, we meet a handful of residents of a picture-perfect New England town, plus one interloper. The central character is Eisa (Karla Young; Pretty Hunger), the 17-year-old mixed-race daughter of an interracial same-sex marriage. The Caucasian father is Samuel Stein (Patrick Breen; Next Fall, Fuddy Meers), a tech salesman whose job takes him out of town on alternate weeks. He sees life through rose-colored glasses that show him only what we wants to see, uninfluenced by reality. Aaron (Teagle F. Bougere; Socrates, Beast in the Jungle), the African-American biological father and primary parent, wanted to be a writer but ended up stifled in a dead-end part-time newspaper job. Now that Eisa is leaving the nest, Aaron would like to move to the city, but Samuel resists. The couple have spent many a session with an unseen feckless therapist whose platitudes have been of little benefit. Growing up different in a virtually all-white environment has made Eisa hard-edged and willful. She is eager to start a better life at NYU. Her unhappy English teacher Miss Charpie (Crystal Finn; Bobbie Cleary, Pocatello) thinks Eisa is her only bright student, but locks horns with her when she fails to complete an assignment. Aaron is visited by his Latino first love Raul (Javier Muñoz; Hamilton), with whom he broke up cruelly when they graduated high school. Raul has become a drifter, not putting down roots anywhere. His visit stirs Aaron’s thoughts about the road not taken. Atlas (Uly Schlesinger), who goes to high school with Eisa, works at a Chuck E. Cheese, where he sells pot on the side to earn money for college. He meets Samuel under rather implausible circumstances. Atlas is also eager to learn about the music that Eisa listens to. She’s a big Lauryn Hill fan, which would have meant more to me if I had heard her music. I guess the royalties would have been too high. The confrontation between Eisa and her teacher gradually escalates to dangerous heights. The consequences of Eisa’s actions lead Aaron to confront Samuel about the deep fractures in their marriage. My initial warm feelings grew cooler as the plot grew messier. Nevertheless, the play has much to recommend it. Seeing the dynamics of an interracial, same-sex marriage from the viewpoint of the child is enlightening. Getting a glimpse of the drug problem typical of small New England towns is timely. The lead actors are all very good. Ms. Young shows great promise. The role of Raul is too underwritten to show much of Mr. Munoz’s talent. Saheem Ali’s (The Rolling Stone) direction is smooth. Arnulfo Maldonado’s (Sugar in Our Wounds, School Girls) set is both attractive and functional. Dede Ayite’s (Slave Play) costumes are appropriate. I wish the last 15 minutes were better, but even with this reservation, the play is worth seeing. At the performance I attended, the audience was refreshingly diverse. Running time: one hour 45 minutes; no intermission.

The Rolling Stone

B+

Lincoln Center Theater is presenting the American premiere of this gripping drama by young British playwright Chris Urch (Land of Our Fathers) that won several prizes when it was staged in the U.K. The title comes from the name of a Kampala tabloid that, in 2010, published the names, addresses and photos of 100 Ugandan men suspected of homosexuality, thereby subjecting them to vigilante mobs and long prison sentences. Denbe (Ato Blankson-Wood; Hair, Slave Play) is an 18-year old student who is carrying on a secret affair with Sam (Robert Gilbert; Julius Caesar), a mixed-race Northern Irish/Ugandan doctor who recently arrived in town. Denbe’s sister Wummie (Latoya Edwards; School Girls, Miss You Like Hell) is a year younger but in the same grade as Denbe. Both are studying for an exam to qualify for medical school. Their older brother Joe (James Udom; Miss Julie, The Winter’s Tale) has just been chosen pastor of their church after his predecessor abruptly resigned under suspicion of embezzlement. Mama (Myra Lucretia Taylor; Nine, Familiar) is a neighbor devoted to the church who lent her influence in favor of Joe's selection. She has a daughter Naome (Adenike Thomas; Freedom Train) who has mysteriously not spoken for six months and hopes that Pastor Joe can cure her. The siblings are shocked to learn that their recently deceased father left them only debts. The church cannot afford a salary for Joe until his builds up the congregation. Joe declares that one of his siblings must give up the dream of medical school to support the family. When Sam’s phone disappears and his apartment walls are defaced with anti-gay graffiti, he and Denbe go into panic mode fearing that they will be outed. Although they love their brother, Joe and Wummie have zero tolerance for homosexuality. The pace of the first act is a bit slow. There are a series of gripping confrontations in the second act that, unfortunately, lead to a rather unsatisfactory ending. The actors are very strong, especially Mr. Blankson-Wood as Denbe and Ms. Taylor as Mama. The role of Sam is underwritten, leaving his motivation a bit unclear. Arnulfo Maldonado’s (Bull in a China Shop, Sugar in Our Wounds) scenic design has a bare circular stage with a striking backdrop of wire and fabric inspired by the art of El Anatsui. Dede Ayite’s (Secret Life of Bees, Toni Stone) costumes, especially for Denbe and Mama, go a long way toward establishing the characters. Director Saheem Ali’s (Passage, Fireflies) direction is assured. It’s by no means a perfect play but the superb acting and the issues raised make it well worth seeing. Running time: one hour 55 minutes including intermission. NOTE: The play does not address the fact that the anti-homosexual campaigns in Africa have largely been fomented and financed by American evangelicals.

Here is a link to an interesting article about the playwright:

https://www.audreyjournal.com.au/arts/chris-urch-writing-the-rolling-stone/