My acquaintance with the poet Federico García Lorca is through my copy of Three Plays, and I still haven't seen a play of his produced. This weekend, though, Lorca and I were at least introduced through Latino Theatre Projects' production of Nilo Cruz's Beauty of the Father at Burien Little Theatre, directed by Michael D. Blum. And the pleasure was mine.
The story revolves around Emiliano—father, artist, lover, companion—at the center of something of a multigenerational and crosscultural love...square?....as he gains, loses, and tries to keep those he loves. He wears the mantle of fatherhood uneasily. As the people in his life look to him he must learn when to speak and when to be silent; when to be vulnerable; and when to let others find themselves.
Giving Emiliano counsel is the ghost of Lorca. Lorca is Greek chorus, mediator, and interpreter to us. And...something else, to Emiliano. But what? Sardonic gadfly? Conscience? Father figure? Son? (Lorca was 38 when he was murdered.) Does he merely observe, comment, and dabble? Or does he feel anguish with and for these living humans? What does the ghost desire? I would like to see this play again before the end of the run (August 25) to watch and listen and think more about this. There's a lot you can do with a ghost hanging out in your play.
Another challenge of Cruz's play is that there isn't much "action" for those who care about such things; the relationships are all played out through the language of voice and body and there are only two locations, Emiliano's studio courtyard and a picnic on the nearby beach.
That's ok. One of the strengths of this production is its rising cadence, making me almost hear and feel the tides of the coast outside Emiliano's door in Salobreña. Blum and his cast create a music that is expressed as much physically as it is through the language of the play. In particular the bodies and voices of Fernando Luna as Emiliano, Matt Aguayo as Karim, and Heather Ward as Paquita kept perfect rhythm, lithe and graceful, as this dance unfolded.
Another challenge of Cruz's play is that there isn't much "action" for those who care about such things; the relationships are all played out through the language of voice and body and there are only two locations, Emiliano's studio courtyard and a picnic on the nearby beach.
That's ok. One of the strengths of this production is its rising cadence, making me almost hear and feel the tides of the coast outside Emiliano's door in Salobreña. Blum and his cast create a music that is expressed as much physically as it is through the language of the play. In particular the bodies and voices of Fernando Luna as Emiliano, Matt Aguayo as Karim, and Heather Ward as Paquita kept perfect rhythm, lithe and graceful, as this dance unfolded.
The set by Maggie Larrick and art by Jim Barnia took me far away from Washington State, despite the limitations of the elementary-school-turned-theatre.
Congratulations to Blum and all the cast and crew on a fine production, making theatre on I suspect a shoestring budget and a great deal of hard work. It was a pleasure to meet Robert Harkins, executive director and production manager and to shake hands with Luna, artistic director of Latino Theatre Projects as well as one of the stars of the show. Latino Theatre Projects will be on our list of companies to watch from now on and we look forward to seeing more from them.
1 comment:
Thanks, Sweetie! Glad you liked it!
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