THEATER REVIEW: FAITH

A scene from Faith.

Belief in the future

By Ed Rampell

Faith is the first part of playwright Evelina Fernandez’s Mexican Trilogy, although it’s the final installment to be produced in her three generational saga that follows the Garcia family, who migrated North of the border to, among other things, avoid the upheaval of the Mexican Revolution. The Latino Theater Company already presented parts II and III, Hope and Charity, last June and in 2011, and Faith continues the thread with much the same plot elements and themes.

As strangers in a strange land the Garcias struggle to survive in El Norte. The play opens in an Arizona mining town, with the Garcias leading a hardscrabble existence as members of a minority group who alternately try to adjust, fit in and maintain their roots. Perpetuating a sense of ethnic identity in an unbroken chain of ancestry persists as one of Fernandez’s primary preoccupations. Are the three U.S.-born daughters -- the eponymous Faith (Esperanza America), Charity (Alexis de la Rocha) and Elena (Olivia Delgado) -- Americans or Mexicans? Or something else, a hybrid, Chicanos?

The popular music in the trilogy’s other installments is back to liven things up and express underlying moods and notions. So is a significant world historical figure who looms large in the background, here in the personage of a Pres. Roosevelt heard via fireside chats on the radio. The playwright’s antiwar obsession returns too, as WWII sweeps the land and Freddie (Matias Ponce, who in a double role also plays a Priest) questions military service. Many may consider it heresy to doubt the so-called “good fight,” but Fernandez, who is nothing if not a writer of deep convictions, remains true to her pacifistic creed.

Speaking about Fernandez, she is cast against type as the lovelorn Lupe; in real life Evelina is far more attractive than her character, and kudos to her for glamming herself down for the plain Jane (or Juanita?) role. As an amiga of the Garcias, Lupe tries to mitigate the ironfisted rule over the household by Esperanza (Lucy Rodriguez). In one of the play’s several plot twists, it turns out Esperanza’s trying to prevent her daughters from repeating her own youthful indiscretions, but in the process, the overbearing parent forces them over the edge instead. Despite the biblical titles of Fernandez’s trilogy, she continues to wage her own holy war with Mother Church’s repression in Faith.

The local Latino radio celeb Ricardo Flores, aka “Ricky Flowers” (Geoffrey Rivas), has a surprise of his own. Xavi Moreno as the bumbling wannabe suitor and less than brave Charlie provides comic relief in a play that suffers from too many fart jokes.

The real standout of the ensemble cast, which is imaginatively directed by Jose Luis Valenzuela, is Sal Lopez, that stalwart of stage and screen who has appeared in movies such as Stanley Kubrick’s anti-Vietnam classic Full Metal Jacket. Talk about plot twists and turns: As Lupe’s husband Silvestre, he’s full of New Deal fervor, trying to organize Latino miners to receive equal pay for equal work. Instead of using economic arguments, Silvestre advances moral reasons to make his case to his fellow workers. Once his surprising back story is revealed, auds understand why. It seems that the Christianity Fernandez abides by is that of Liberation Theology. In any case, bravo Mr. Lopez, for bringing to life one of the best Latino characters since that 1950s classic with its similarly biblical title, Salt of the Earth.

The direction of Faith is up to Valenzuela’s habitual excellence -- even more so. With the help of scenic and lighting director Cameron Mock Valenzuela makes creative use of LATC’s rather large downstairs Theatre 3’s extensive space, staging the action on multi-levels. Which is only appropriate, as Faithis a multi-dimensional work.

Faith can be a standalone work; one need not have necessarily seen Hope and Charity to enjoy it, although having done so will enhance a fuller understanding of this Latino triptych. For those who did, like this head scratching reviewer, it is however frankly disjointing to have seen the plays out of order, which makes it hard to follow the peregrinations of the characters as they search for the Promised Land in los Estados Unidos. Hopefully, some producer and/or entity will have the faith to present the trilogy in chronological order. BTW, this would not be an act of charity, as such an undertaking is sure to be a surefire hit. Another suggestion is that the multi-talented Fernandez set her hand at writing a musical with original music composed specifically for such a work. Who knows? Evelina just might add “lyricist” to her job title.

In any case, this is the last week theatre-lovers can take an act of Faith at the LATC -- at least for the time being.


Faith runs through Nov. 11 in Theatre 3 of the Los Angeles Theatre Centre, 514 S. Spring St., CA 90013. For more info: 866/811-4111; www.thelatc.org.

 

FILM REVIEW: HOP

E.B. (voice by Russell Brand) in Hop.

Rabbit test

By John Esther

Assuming its audience is familiar with that lie most American adults tell their children about the Easter Bunny coming around annually to bring candy and hide colored hard-boiled eggs for children to find and consume -- as part of the celebration of Jesus Christ's reported resurrection from the cross -- Hop wastes no time with any holiday back story (the savior is never even mentioned in the movie) and immediately dives forward to a secret candy factory nestled under the Moai statues on Easter Island, Rapa Nui, a Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean.

Owner of the wonderful, colorful, dazzling, frazzling, mind-numbing factory is the Easter Bunny (nicely voiced by Hugh Laurie). Running the factory is Carlos (Hank Azaria once again doing the silly Latino voice he did as Agador Spartacus back in the 1996 movie, The Birdcage, and continues as Julio in The Simpsons), an ambitious chick who does not care for the Easter Bunny's "privileged" son, E.B. (voice by the seemingly-ubiquitous Russell Brand), the hare, er, heir apparent to the fortune.

A bunny who just wants to bang on the drums all day, E.B. is not interested in following family traditions and when the time comes to take over the sweetest job in the world, E.B. takes off for Hollywood to become a professional drummer. Sure, why not?

After an accidental encounter, E.B. meets Fred O'Hare (James Marsden), a jobless Valley Boy who has finally exhausted the patience of his parents (Gary Cole and Elizabeth Perkins). Now, while most people would be curious, or notice opportunity, if he or she discovered a rabbit that talked and played the drums, Fred tries to get rid of the cute little creature. But E.B. just will not let go. He is here to fulfill his dreams, but he needs Fred's help. Of course, Fred comes around and is thus rewarded beyond his dreams.

Using animation and live action quite impressively, Hop takes one reactionary myth and uses it to reinforce that myth as well as others. From the Easter Bunny to the classic Hollywood populist carrot about the ordinary schmo who gets the job of his dreams out of dumb luck (just look at Hop co-star David Haselloff's career), Hop is a pretty puffy tale throughout the film.

In addition to the myths, Hop makes a mockery out of workers' rights. Carlos, out of his own greed, leads the chicks at the candy plant on a revolt. Whatever legitimate complaints Carlos may have had against his boss are nullified by his "Latino" tin pot dictatorship. His demands are foreign to the normal machinations of the plant. Ergo, we are to here to root for traditional business as usual and that does not include any advancement in the rights of "chicks." (Hop's most noticeable product placement, Hershey's, has a poor history regarding the use of child slave labor in West Africa.)

In addition to Latinos, what little there is of "The Other" serves as a hammy trope or very little more than something to deride. At best, they should just be happy for the white male heroes. Others may work harder at what they do than Fred has ever tried, but they will never take that great Hershey Highway to the sky and that seems the way things ought to be.

To be fair to the hare, Brand's performance is rather delightful. He accentuates the smarter scenes in the movie. There is actually a pretty amusing second act in Hop involving the developing relationship between Fred and E.B. -- with quite a bit of dialogue that will go straight over the heads of some members of the audience. Fred is a bourgeois brat and E.B.'s upper-class upbringing exposes more of Fred's shortcomings while Fred relays what would happen to a talking bunny rabbit if the authorities got a hold of one. (Actually, it is the same kinds of bad things that happen to non-talking rabbits already in the tragic "name of science.") It is the most honest part of Hop. Too bad the filmmakers had to ensure they re-return Hop into a fairy tale.