Two for one for GALA's "Weddings"!

 Carlos Castillo (Hugo) and Giselle Gonzalez in GALA's 22+Weddings of Hugo/Stan Weinstein, photo

Get your tickets while they’re hot!  Two for the price of one through Sunday when the show closes at 2 p.m.

The play is 22+ Weddings of Hugo by Gustavo Ott, GALA’s producing artistic director, and it's based on a true story about a man who married more than 22 times because he ... ?

It's the world premiere in Spanish (with English surtitles) and celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month.

But, not to fear, playgoers: You are not sitting through 22 weddings!  Nor even one!  

"Only" three of Hugo's marital partners participate at GALA in a clever flashback style, and a lively bunch they are! They "discuss" amidst the incredible home set by Grisele Gonzales and Ilyana Rose-Dávila.

Yaiza Figueroa (Irene) and Carlos Castillo (Hugo) in GALA's 22+Weddings of Hugo/Stan Weinstein, photo
  

Hugo is a genuinely good guy, a postal worker, who wants to help his friends gain citizenship, family, respectability, and feel "at home."

The first mate we see is Irene (Yaiza Figueroa), spouse #18. She's likeable enough, even if her boyfriend is somewhere near (!) and she's carrying his? child.  What's going on here?

Spouse #17 is the dogmatic and fearless Wafa (Giselle Gonzalez) with whom Huge maybe meets his match. Wafa seems to enjoy criticizing others.

Next up is Hugo's gay mate, #16 Elmar (Victor Gonzalez) who leaps from a curtain leading to the bedroom to a gasp and giggle from the audience, rather surprised by his getup. Elmar wears a big smile and a gorgeous apron which covers his royal blue underwear.

He's a right jolly old self. 

As usual at GALA, the acting is splendid, and the set is homey (for an understatement), filled with plants in the kitchen, appliances, a living area and, hanging haphazardly from the ceiling, windows and doors.

Hugo's mates all have families and grandchildren and extended families.

The characters' stories lay out their relationships and the importance of taking care of each other. The lights go on and off and in a visiting prison scene, a mysterious voice echoes in the room, reminding the prisoner and his visitors that "touching" which they do in more ways than one, is not allowed.

Hugo's 22 weddings is a nice counterbalance to all the venom we encounter on what's the stage of the United States.  Plus, it's got humor, lots and lots of humor!  With 22+ spouses, it's gotta have humor!

GALA'S creative team for Hugo includes the director, José Zayas; lighting designer, Hailey LaRoe; costumes by Rukiya Henry-Fields; and sound, Koki Lortkipanidze.

Also, hair and makeup, Andre Hopfer; technicals, Jon Townson; assistant director, Esteban Marmolejo-Suarez; stage manager, Cat Moreschi; assistant stage manager, Mel Mader; 

house manager, Joel Galvaz; and company manager, Camilo Montoya.

What: 22+ Weddings of Hugo

When: Now - Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024

Where: Gala Theatre, 3333 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20010.

Tickets: $48, or seniors (ages 65+), students, teachers, military, and groups (10+), $35. Ages 25 and under, $25. To purchase, visit galatheatre.org or call 202-234-7174.

Handicapped accessible: GALA has four wheelchair accessible spaces and an elevator to transport people from the entrance to the lobby and to the house.

Duration: About two hours plus one intermission

Metro stations: Columbia Heights is one block from GALA on the Green and Yellow lines. Or, get off Metro at McPherson Square, take bus #52 or #54 up 14th, or, walk the two miles from McPherson Square and save money and expend calories! Lots of places to eat along the way.

Parking: Discounted parking for $4 at Giant's garage around the corner on Park Road with ticket validation in GALA's lobby. Additional parking is available at the Target garage also on Park Road NW, between 14th and 16th Street NW.

For more information: Call (202) 234-7174 and/or email info@galatheatre.org

GALA's 'Gardens' grow hilarious!

From left, Victor Salinas, Alina Collins Maldonado, Juan Luis Acevedo, and Luz Nicolas in GALA Hispanic Theatre's Jardin Salvaje (Native Gardens)/Daniel Martinez, photo


It's a laugh-a-minute at the garden show onstage now at GALA Hispanic Theatre, the Spanish world premiere of the English version with surtitles on two overhead screens.

From start to finish, Jardin Salvaje (Native Gardens) is hilarious and the solid acting makes it that much more enjoyable.

Like a rose blooming in spring, neighbors begin their relationship nicey nice which doesn’t take long for smoldering issues to break ground and open.

Juan Luis Acevedo as Fabio almost steals the show with his antics, swoops, dives, and other gymnastic feats to portray increasing dissatisfaction with his new next-door neighbors (Democrats without a doubt) who have invaded his space and may cause him to lose (once again!) the community's garden show competition.

Dios mio!

Plus, those youngsters look to be wretched "tree huggers" who shun insecticides!

Can it be? Next door to me?

Oh, my! Look how my garden grows...or did, until Pablo (Victor Salinas) and his very pregnant wife, Tania (Alina Collins Maldonado) moved in, at first, kind people, good people, until...until!

Hilarity sprouts, takes root, and blossoms without fertilizer.

Fabio's wife, Virginia (Luz Nicolás), the consummate professional frequently seen on GALA's stage, is a realistic mate who helps nurture the "friendship" with the newbies. And (worst of the worst!), she smokes! 

She smokes!


A silent team of landscapers (Fabian Augustine, Janine Baumgardner, Edwin Bernal, and Lenny Mendez) come to clean up the yard and make ready for Pablo's law firm party about to take place in the back yard, and party is what they do, all right:  Making light of their customers, dancing and sharing their joyful personalities to add more merriment to an already merriful show.


That the setting is in Washington with some wonderfully snide remarks about certain neighborhoods produces lots of laughs.

The set is a marvel with the tallest tree I've seen on a stage with...could this be right? Individually placed pieces of bark? It's a treasure, one that the new couple adores but the old fuddy duddies next door want removed. (Nominations, please, for Grisele Gonzalez, scenic designer, and Chelsea Dean, properties.)

My goodness, whose leaves are those?

It all comes down to a fence which happens to be the dividing line between the properties, or is it?

Sound designer Justin Schmitz fills the land with happy music, at least at first.


Costumer Jeannette Christensen was busy dressing the characters quickly in different outfits every time they went in the house and when they came out.

Alberto Segarra lets the sunshine (and nighttime) in with perfect lighting.

Gardens is written and adapted by Washington's own transplant from Mexico, Karen Zacarias, one of the most produced playwrights in the nation. Once seen, you'll definitely buy tickets when you see her name attached to other shows.

Applause to director Rebecca Aparicio and other production team members: Deja Collins, projections; Alyssa Hill, stage manager; Jon Townson, technical director; P. Vanessa Losada, production manager; Hugh Medrano, producer; and Gustavo Ott, translator.

What: Jardin Salvaje (Native Gardens)


Covid policy: Masks are optional for guests who are fully vaccinated and boostered. Otherwise, masks, please.

When: Thursday - Sunday nights through Feb. 26, 2023

Where: Gala Theatre, 3333 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20010.

Tickets: $48, or seniors (ages 65+), students, teachers, military, and groups (10+), $35. Ages 25 and under, $25. To purchase, visit galatheatre.org or call 202-234-7174.

Handicapped accessible

Duration: About 90 minutes plus one intermission

Metro stations: Columbia Heights is one block from GALA. Or, get off Metro at McPherson Square, take bus #52 or #54 up 14th, or, walk the two miles from McPherson Square and save money and expend calories! Lots of places to eat along the way.

Parking: Discounted parking at Giant's garage around the corner on Park Road. Validate your ticket in GALA's lobby.

For more information: Call (202) 234-7174 and/or email info@galatheatre.org


patricialesli@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

'On Your Feet!' at Gala

Front, from left, Amy Romero, Gaby Albo (center), Miranda Pepin. Back, from left, Hugo Bruments, Steven Orrego Upegui, and Graciela Rey in Gala Hispanic Theatre's On Your Feet!/Photo, Daniel Martinez

Broadway is at Gala!

That's right: Gloria and Emilio Estefan's story comes alive at the Hispanic Theatre in a high-kickin', dynamic glossy show in the world premiere in Spanish of On Your Feet! (with English surtitles).

Fabulous dancing and outstanding, glittering costumes (by Jeannette Christensen, assisted by Cidney Forkpah which make you wonder how did they change so fast?) trace the Cuban-American couple's rise to stardom and 26 Grammy wins in this fast-paced production. 

Gaby Albo (center). From left, on the sides facing front: Brayan Llamoza and Steven Orrego Upegui and members of the cast in Gala Hispanic Theatre's On Your Feet!/Photo, Daniel Martinez

At the end the crowd was on its feet, stompin' and clappin' to join the cast in a fun and energetic display of the real show on Broadway where it ran two years before starting a world tour. 

Get up and make it happen
Stand up, stand up, stand up and take some action

It's a "jukebox musical" with popular Estefan titles including four which Gloria has enriched with new lyrics.

Gaby Albo is Gloria in a convincing performance to make her namesake proud. Samuel Garnica is her husband in a strong, subordinate role whose ego never wilts under his wife's glow.

From left, Fran Tapia, Gaby Albo, and Samuel Garnica in Gala Hispanic Theatre's On Your Feet!/Photo, Daniel Martinez

Some other best performances are those by women in Gloria's "family": Fran Tapia as Gloria's mother, Madelin Marchant is Gloria's grandmother, and 

Gina Maria Fernandez is Gloria's sister.

The mother is a mean woman encumbered by her own background and failure to pursue her dreams.  She resists and resents her daughter's climb to fame.  In flashbacks, Ms. Tapia shows age matters not when it comes to her incredible dance. 

Gloria's supportive Grandmother Consuelo counterbalances the mother with Consuelo's perfectly timed appearances to assure her granddaughter that her dreams can become real. 

The grandmother was an audience favorite but nothing exceeded the roar of the crowd at the end when the house almost came down at the sight of  youngsters "Little Gloria" (Kamila Rodriguez) and "Little Emilio" (Winsley Dejesus) dancing expertly in a duet to belie their young years. 

The wreck scene which left Gloria's life and career initially in doubt, is a jarring shock, smashing in your face and expertly crafted by Patrick Lord, assisted by Clara Ashe-Moore.

A huge international cast of happy actors included Jose Capellan starring as Jose Fajardo, Gloria's father, and ensemble members: Rodolfo Santamarina, Camila Cardona, Camila Taleisnik, Brayan Llamoza, Jonathan Mouset, Amy Romero, Miranda Pepin, Grant Latus, Carlos Adol, Hugo Brument, Steve Orrego Upegui, Luis Armando Benitez, Laura Castrillon, and Graciela Rey.

Dance captains Myriam Gadri and Bryan Menjivar assisted in choreography.

The production team included Alexander Dinelaries, book; Emilio and Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine, music producers; Esmeralda Azkarate-Gaztelu, book translation; Luis Salgado, director and choreographer.

Also,  Clifton Chadick, scenic design; Matthew Rowe, sound; George-Edward A. Burgtorf, properties; Lashawn Melton, wigs/makeup; Valeria Cossu, associate director. 

Lighting designer Christopher Annas-Lee and assistant Zachary Heffner deftly met the demands of the show.

Other crew members: Maria Jose ”Majo” Ferrucho, stage manager; P. Vanessa Losada, production manager; Heather Hogan, creative consultant;
Hugo Medrano, producer; and Rebecca Medrano, executive producer.

The 10-member band was led by pianist Walter “Bobby” McCoy and assisted by Daniel Gutierrez on keyboards. The musicians were partially hidden up high on either side of the theatre and at stage rear, producing surround sound indeed! 

Extra applause to trumpeter, Brad Clements, for his solos.   

This is a storybook tale that provides inspiration to all dreamers who may sometimes doubt their drive in struggles to reach the top, but hard work and persistence pay off.  Nothing is totally due to chance. 

Seize the opportunity and get on your feet and get to the theatre where a good time of outstanding fun and entertainment are guaranteed at Gala which makes a memorial mark in the history of theatre in Washington, D.C.

What: On Your Feet!


Covid vaccine card and picture ID required for admission or a negative covid test taken within 72 hours of the show.

When: Thursday - Sunday nights through June 5, 2022

Where: Gala Theatre, 3333 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20010.

Tickets: $65, or seniors (ages 65+), students, teachers, military, and groups (10+), $45.  Ages 25 and under, $35. To purchase, visit galatheatre.org or call 202-234-7174.

Handicapped accessible

Duration: About two and a half hours with one intermission

Metro stations: Columbia Heights is one block from GALA. Or, get off Metro at McPherson Square, take bus #52 or #54 up 14th, or, walk the two miles from McPherson Square and save money and expend calories! Lots of places to eat along the way.

Parking:  Discounted parking at Giant's garage around the corner on Park Road. Validate your ticket in GALA's lobby. 

For more information: Call (202) 234-7174 and/or email info@galatheatre.org

patricialesli@gmail.com

A GALA 'House' of fire and rage

Ernesto Concepción as Quintín and Yaiza Figueroa as Isabel in GALA Hispanic Theatre's La casa de la laguna (The House on the Lagoon)/Photo by Daniel Martínez

GALA Hispanic Theatre's La Casa de la Laguna (The House on the Lagoon) is anything but calm.

It's the world premiere of the play by Caridad Svich, based on the novel by Rosario Ferré, the story of a tumultuous marriage and a woman's search for meaning.

Directed by Rebecca Aparicio, the production follows the adult life of a woman seeking her independence while Puerto Rico's modern history and internal debates about its quest for statehood, flow in the background.  

From left, Omar Cruz as Manuel, Ernesto Concepción as Quintín, Evelyn Rosario Vega as Petra (standing), and Yaiza Figueroa as Isabel in GALA Hispanic Theatre's La casa de la laguna (The House on the Lagoon)/Photo by Daniel Martínez

This "casa" is a complex, multi-generational drama, action-packed with relationships and disharmonies. 

The acting brings some of Puerto Rico's finest to Washington, many making their technical and stage debuts at GALA. 

The lagoon is a conclave of wealthy homes where the Mendizábal family has raised their son Quintín (Ernesto Concepción), according to strict guidelines of the father, Buenaventura (Juan Luis Acevedo). 

Quintín is a vigorous showman whose dominance will never succumb to a woman or love of family. Like his father, he is unwilling to compromise, and his intensity increases as the play progresses alongside the passage of his wife's journey. 

Yaiza Figueroa is Isabel, who falls in love with the seemingly suave, "gentle" Quintín on a romantic beach. As their relationship evolves, his controlling father wants to know if Isabel is good enough for his son.

Buenaventura has no trouble convincing the audience that he calls the shots in his family, aided by his charming wife, Rebecca (Luz Nicolás), whose well-tamed behavior is one desired by her offspring for his own wife. 

Never without a lit cigarette, Rebecca coddles her husband and son, smiling all the while with soothing deliveries. 

But someone forgot to tell Quintín that time moves on and today is not yesteryear. 

Quintín and Isabel marry and have a son Manuel (Omar Cruz, excellent in his role as the irreverent son). The years pass, and Isabel struggles with wifely duties vs. her own self-awareness and questions of identity. 

She starts writing an autobiography about their families which enrages Quintín when he finds the book that he secretly begins to edit.

At home, the housekeeper, Petra (Evelyn Rosario Vega) maintains some normalcy with a mild demeanor until she, too, can't handle it anymore.  Her slower pace, pulled back hair, and halting speech keenly demonstrate the advent of time.  

Throughout the performance I held my breath, worrying whether the men would strike, like the vipers they were. 

The conclusion was quite the surprise.

Another cast member is María Coral as Coral, Manuel's girlfriend.

Germán Martínez produced savvy sounds and music to forecast rising conflicts and tension on many horizons. 

Puerto Rican artist Gerardo Díaz Sánchez designed a minimalist set of dining and living room furniture on opposite sides of the stage to complement the backdrop of frequent video and photo changes of Puerto Rico.(Production by Kelly Colburn.)   

Costuming by Jeannette Christensen is realistic with Rebecca's bright, colorful gowns, a welcome visual variation.

Other technical crew members are Jennifer Fok, lighting; Ilyana Rose-Dávila, stage manager and props; Vanessa Losada, production manager; and Hugo Medrano, producer.

La Casa de la Laguna  was a finalist for the National Book Award when it was published in 1995.  Ms. Ferré (1938-2016) was a leading author in contemporary Latin America who studied at Wellesley College, Manhattanville College, the University of Puerto Rico, and the University of Maryland. 

Her father was the third elected governor of Puerto Rico and the founding father of the New Progressive Party which advocates for U.S. statehood.

The production is made possible with generous support from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the Miranda Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts which recently awarded GALA a $150,000 grant from the American Rescue Plan. 

GALA will use the money to save jobs and to fund operations and facilities, health and safety supplies, and marketing and promotional efforts to encourage attendance. GALA was one of 567 arts organizations in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Washington, DC. to receive a grant. 

GALA audiences are seldom disappointed by anything less than dynamic acting and fascinating stories which capture our minds and send us away on thoughtful adventures. 

What: La Casa de la Laguna (The House on the Lagoon)

Language:  Spanish with English surtitles

Masks, vaccination cards and photo IDs required, or proof of negative covid-19 tests within 72 hours

When: Thursday through Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022 at 8 p.m. except Sundays, 2 p.m.

Where: Gala Theatre, 3333 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20010.

Handicapped accessible 

Duration: About two hours and one intermission

Metro stations: Columbia Heights is one block away or get off at McPherson Square, take bus #52 or #54 up 14th, or, instead of the bus or Metro, walk two miles up 14th, save money and expend calories! Lots of places to eat along the way.

Parking: With validation at Gala, a flat rate of $4 is available at Giant grocery around the corner on Park Road, NW.  

For more information: Call (202) 234-7174 and/or email info@galatheatre.org

Film review: 'Las Siameses,' one of the year's best

At the movie's end, the man behind me said, "I feel like I've been to the dentist and had all my teeth pulled."

I felt like I had seen a masterpiece.

I nominate Las Siamesas for "Best International Feature Film" and Rita Cortese for "Best Performance by an Actress in an International Feature Film." She plays the mother, and Valeria Lois is the daughter who does a pretty good job herself in the movie about a mother/daughter relationship.

The Siamese Bond made its DC debut last weekend at Gala Hispanic Theatre where the Gala Film Fest presented six movies by female filmmakers in this "Latin American Innovation."

Las Siamesas is a black comedy which produces audience guffaws with hard-hitting lines the mom and daughter exchange while on a bus trip to the shore to see apartments which the daughter has inherited from her father.

The bus ride takes a back seat to the relationship, but its momentum heightens expectations.

Daylight gradually wanes, travelers disembark from the bus, and all that remains are the two women, two drivers and the audience, a voyeuristic passenger on an existential journey leading (surprise!) to a breakdown.

The ride darkens.

And where there is darkness, loneliness, and consenting adults, there is fire.

The sex scene is the best I can recall, one directed from a woman's perspective without male directors' obligatory exposed breasts. Thank you, Director Paula Hernandez.

The first kiss, the hidden skin, shadows, movements, the passion. Leaving much to the imagination which is as it should be and makes for a better experience.

Listen to the hum of the bus and the magnificent score. That cello! To perfectly match the mood and emphasize the turmoils the daughter and the mother endure.

What appears to be a simple set intensifies the script.

It's bleak, it's funny, it's sad, and arouses emotions, all the moving parts necessary for a successful film. Okay, so maybe the pauses could have been shortened, but otherwise, what to improve?

Las Siamesas has been nominated for several international awards with a victory claimed by Director Hernandez who wrote the script with Leonel D'Agostino.

On another night at the Festival, I saw Ya Me Voy (I'm Leaving Now) by Lindsey Cordero and Armando Croda filmed over two years in Brooklyn, about an undocumented immigrant who wrestles with going home or staying in New York where he can continue his relationships and his collections. It's highly recommended, too, but it was Las Siamesas which drove my fingers to the keyboard.

All films are in Spanish with English subtitles. Carlos Gutierrez curated.

patricialesli@gmail.com

Flamenco enflames GALA

Edwin Aparicio in Salvador at GALA Hispanic Theatre/photo by Daniel Martinez

Mariana Gatto-Duran in Salvador at GALA Hispanic Theatre/photo by Daniel Martinez

The entrancing story, Salvador, presented by the Flamenco Aparicio Dance Company, is based on the life of choreographer and artistic director, Edwin Aparicio which debuted five years ago at GALA Hispanic Theatre.


Its revival this month with Mr. Aparicio, the company's founder, is one of two shows at GALA for the 17th annual Fuego Flamenco Festival, a celebration co-founded by Mr. Aparicio.

Today and tomorrow the flamenco menu includes De paso by the Sara Perez Dance Company with Rubén Puertas, prize winner of Madrid’s prestigious Certamen of Dance competition.

Edwin Aparicio dances his life's story in Salvador at GALA Hispanic Theatre/photo by Daniel Martinez

Salvador opens in the 1980s in El Salvador where Mr. Aparicio lived as a child amidst gangs and soldiers who often kidnapped children to mold them into soldiers.

After his parents leave for the U.S., he's left in the care of his grandmother, his only solace to provide him comfort amidst the dangers on the streets and it's to her, his other grandmother, and those of the co-director, Aleksey Kulikov, that Salvador is dedicated.

Act I ends with Mr. Aparicio's gradual exit from the stage while his life resumes as a young Edwin (danced by Ricardo Osorio Ruiz). A distressing separation from his grandmother, reminding the audience of their own painful farewells from loved ones, unfolds as the boy departs to join his parents.

Life in Washington, D.C., their residence, was hardly any better for the youngster. His family's Mt. Pleasant community erupts in a 1981 riot of cultural war and property destruction.

Dance offers young Edwin some respite, but he is told he doesn't look the part of a ballet dancer, but suddenly, the doors to flamenco open.

He heads to Spain which opens the third and final act. There, he trains with renowned teachers before his debut in Madrid in 2001. 

Over time Mr. Aparicio dances countless solos on stages throughout the U.S. and performs major roles with the Washington National Opera and the Washington Ballet.  Today, Mr. Aparicio is a faculty member of the Washington School of Ballet. He is the founder of the Flamenco Aparicio Dance Company and received the Cross of the Order of Civil Merit in 2015 from King Felipe VI of Spain.

All through Salvador, large photographs from the era are posted high on the backdrop to help lay the foundations of Aparicio's life.

In colorful attire, six female flamenco dancers with sexy looks matching their motions, embellish Aparicio's life with heels beating on the floor to become another musical instrument in the orchestra of four. 

Those four almost steal the show with their strong, unrelenting voices and music of the time.

Amparo Heredia and percussionist and singer, Francisco Orozco cry the anguish of Aparicio throughout the performance while Richard Marlow strums his guitar without pause.

Gonzalo Grau, a two-time Grammy nominee and Salvador's musical director and composer, plays keyboard.

For the finale, Aparicio pairs with his younger self (Ruiz) to dance. 

After the ending, when all the performers and orchestra members came to the stage for audience accolades last weekend, co-artistic director Kulikov joined the dance party and showed how he could stomp his heels and shake a tail feather, too, for the delight of all.

Production staff included P. Vanessa Losada, production manager and light board operator; Rachael Sheffer, interim production manager; Delbis Cardona, production assistant; Devin Mahoney, technical director with Steve Cosby, Renegade Productions; Christopher Annas-Lee, lighting with Hailey LaRoe; Brandon Cook, sound; Kevin Alvarenga and Joel Galvez, house managers.

Sona Kharatian, Washington Ballet, was the ballet choreographer.

Dancers: Cosima Amelang, Mariana Gatto-Duran, Catherina Irwin, Sara Jerez Marlow, Dana Shoenberg, Kyoko Terada.

Guest dancers: Noura Sander, Washington Ballet, and Anna Menendez, flamenco teacher

At the end of the night, co-directors Edwin Aparicio, left, and Aleksey Kulikov celebrated flamenco at GALA Hispanic Theatre/photo by Patricia Leslie

What: XVII Fuego Flamenco Festival

Masks: Masks and proof of vaccination or recent negative COVID test required for all performances.

When: Saturday, Nov. 13 at 8 p.m.; Sunday, Nov. 14 at 2 p.m.

Where: GALA Hispanic Theatre, 3333 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20010.

Tickets: $48; $35 for seniors (65+), military, and students; $35, group sales (10 or more); $25 ages 25 and under. To purchase, call (202) 234-7174 or visit www.galatheatre.org.

Handicapped accessible

Duration: About two hours with one intermission

Metro stations: Columbia Heights is one block away or get off at McPherson Square, take bus #52 or #54 up 14th, or, instead of the bus, walk two miles, save money and expend calories! Lots of places to eat along the way.

Parking: With GALA's validation, a flat rate of $4 is available at Giant grocery around the corner or pay $1.50/hour at the Target nearby.

For more information: Call (202) 234-7174 and/or email info@galatheatre.org

patricialesli@gmail.com

GALA's 'Rosita' tarries

Mabel del Pozo is Rosita in GALA Theatre's  Doña Rosita la soltera (Dona Rosita the Spinster)/Photo by Daniel Martinez

The word "spinster" is not heard or read much these days; nor, for that matter, is "bachelor," but to be a "spinster" in
yesteryear (a half century ago and more) was not a good thing.

Today?  

Who cares? 

From left: Luz Nicolas is the Aunt and Mabel del Pozo is Rosita in GALA Theatre's  Doña Rosita la soltera (Dona Rosita the Spinster)/Photo by Daniel Martinez

Weary am I of the sad souls on screen and stage whom I've encountered in the last week.

There was Orson Welles as Charles Foster Kane celebrating the 80th anniversary of the "best all-time ever" film, Citizen Kane; there was Jessica Chastain as Tammy Faye Bakker in a new release about Tammy Faye's Eyes (Jessica Chastain is a shoo-in for Best Actress nominee!) and here comes Doña Rosita, a woman left behind by a man in the age-old story of a woman in plight (when she should be in flight) and she waits.

And waits. On the stage of  GALA Hispanic Theatre.

I can't recall any performance where I was as eager to read a script as I was to read Doña Rosita la soltera, a running poem by Federico García Lorca (1898-1936), his last play before he died at the hands of  Francisco Franco's thugs in Spain, García Lorca's remains still undiscovered.

Nando López , a Spanish novelist and playwright

who won the 2016 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Play for Lorca's Yerma, has written the world premiere adaptation of Doña Rosita. 

Subtitled The Language of the Flowers, the wonders of Rosita's uncle's garden help flesh out the story.

Doña Rosita (Mabel del Pozo) resides with her uncle (Ariel Texido, in one of several confusing roles) and her domineering aunt (Luz Nicolas).  

With the servant (Laura Aleman), the aunt upstages the pseudo- protagonist Rosita whenever the three women are together, the servant more of a sister than a housekeeper, commanding every scene shared with Rosita who accepts a minor role. 

Rosita becomes a ghost in the background, a nobody (like Emily Dickinson): 

I'm Nobody! Who are you? 

 

Are you – Nobody – too? 

Rosita, kind and gentle, fades like the flowers and her dull apparel (by Silvia de Marta).

Like their namesake, Rosita, the flowers bloom, they mature, they wilt, and die, constant reminders about life's brevity. In their bliss, they wave and speak their glories, like García Lorca's poems in the script. 

Says Rosita: 

The rose it had opened

with the light of morning;

so red with its hot blushes

the dew had burnt away;

so hot there on its stem that

the breeze itself was burning;

so high there! How it glowed!

If you haven't grasped by now, Doña Rosita la soltera (Dona Rosita the Spinster) is not an uplifting play. García Lorca frequently wrote about women who suffer the pangs of unrequited love and his setting here at the turn of the 19th century confines Rosita to a meandering self-doubter who questions her being.

She waits years for her fiancé who promises he'll return.

She believes him.  (Silly girl!) 

The script captures the descent of a hopeful bride-to-be, and life slips away.  She is a "reservation on hold."

"Act!" I wanted to cry out:  "Do not tarry!"

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today
Tomorrow will be dying.

The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
The higher he's a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he's to setting.

That age is best which is the first,
When youth and blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
Times still succeed the former.

Then be not coy, but use your time,
And while ye may, go marry;
For having lost but once your prime,

You may forever tarry

 (Robert Herrick [1591-1674] To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time)

 The housekeeper's cocky personality wants to:

Let the sun shine in the corners! Let us hope for many years of cutting roses!   

 
Says Rosita: 

There is nothing more living than a memory. They can make life impossible. That is why I have a profound understanding of those old drunken women who wander through the streets trying to erase the world, who sit and sing on the benches in the avenue.

The words drift and float, weaving their sad spells in melancholy which engulf Dona Rosita, aimless, coasting through life, accompanied by a humble but magnificent musical background (by David Peralto and Alberto Granados) which increases its intensity at just the right times before it slowly settles into absence.

This is a poetic feast, spoken in Spanish with English translations elevated on two screens stage left and right. (For non-speaking Spanish guests, may I suggest a seat higher up to be able to read English translations and catch most of the stage action.)

Lighting and sound (by Jesús Díaz Cortés) never miss an entrance or a beat.

A roving table is a critical prop, the centerpiece of most scenes. The actors wheel it from place to place, covering it, uncovering it as it transitions to a chair, a desk, a bed, a piano, a nun's habit, even a table, and more, a metaphor for Rosita!

 Society's pressures!

All is not lost on modern audiences, however, since it takes only a few moments to realize that juxtaposed against then and now, Doña Rosita gives heft to present-day women and our confidences that we won't wait for any man...will we?

 Dear Rosita: Time waits for no woman.

Mother, take me to the country

in the light of morning

to see the flowers open

on their swaying stems.

A thousand flowers are speaking

to a thousand lovers,

and the stream is murmuring

now the nightingale has ceased.

Cast members also include Catherine Nunez and Delbis Cardona.

Other production staff members are the director, José  Luis Arellano, who also won the 2016 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Direction of Yerma; costume and set assistant, George-Edward Burgtorf;  stage manager, Ilyana Rose-Dávila;  technical director, Devin Mahoney, and production manager, Tony Koehler.

What: Doña Rosita la soltera (Dona Rosita the Spinster)

Masks: Masks and proof of vaccination or recent negative COVID test required for all public performances. Temperatures taken at the entrance.

When: Now through Oct. 3, 2021, Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m.

Where: GALA Theatre, 3333 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20010.

Tickets: $48; $35 for seniors (65+), military, and students; $35, group sales (10 or more); $25 ages 25 and under. To purchase, call (202) 234-7174 or visit www.galatheatre.org.

Handicapped accessible

Duration: About two hours with one intermission

Metro stations: Columbia Heights or McPherson Square. From McPherson Square, take a bus up 14th, or walk two miles and save money and expend calories! Lots of places to eat along the way.

Parking: Discounted at the Giant around the corner and additional parking at Target ($1.50/hour), both on Park Road, NW. 

For more information: Call (202) 234-7174 and/or email info@galatheatre.org


patricialesli@gmail.com

GALA's 'Tango' is out-of-this-world

Rosalía Gasso and Alejandro Barrientos/Their photo

There's no need for dance lovers to travel to Tokyo this summer since GALA Hispanic Theatre brings the Olympics of dance to Washington with astonishing  performances by professional tangoists, musicians and the costumer, Jeanette Christensen. 

Who needs a script when music, dazzling dance, and dress carry you to fantasyland? Like the swirling dancers, the music and costumes combine in Ella es tango to present an electrifying tango show.

Marcos Pereira and Florencia Borgnia/ Photo, Daniel Martinez

GALA's founding producing artistic director, Hugo Medrano, has written an original musical revue (that he directs) about some of last century's female composers/vocalists/tangoists who competed in the male-dominated world to make themselves seen and heard so they could advance in their chosen profession, even disguising themselves as men (not the first - nor the last - time this has been attempted).

Mariana Quinteros and Patricia Torres are the duo of  top vocalists in the show whose best melodies are their duets. 

Marcos Pereira and Florencia Borgnia/Photo, Daniel Martinez

The featured ladies are portrayed by GALA company members, Lorena Sabogal as Libertad Lamarque (1908-2000), Krystal Pou as Camila Quiroga (a fictional character); Patricia Suarez is Tita Merello (1904-2002), Cecilia Esquivel is Azucena Maizani (1902-1970), and the brief biography of another tango artist, Mercedes Simon (1904-1990), is included. 

In song and dance they tell us their sad stories to present what we came to see and to hear.

Rosalía Gasso and Alejandro Barrientos/Photo, Daniel Martinez

The dancing is what brought us to the spectacle and it, combined with music by members of the Pan American Symphony Orchestra, perform in tandem with the script to captivate the magic and allure of the night to star. 

World acclaimed choreographers and teachers, Alejandro and Rosalía Barrientos are the dancers accompanied at times by Marcos Pereira and Florencia Borgnia, world tango championship finalists, who have many of their own solos.

Swirling tails, dresses, legs, and arms flash by, leaving astonished theatregoers in their wake, happy to witness magnificence.

The numerous shimmering, glittering costumes alone make the price of admission well worth the cost, and it's not just the females who come dressed to kill: The men's costumes are equally as outstanding in their glimmering jackets and ballroom tuxedo whites.

Musical direction and orchestration are by Sergio Busjle of the PASO; conducting is Argentine composer Ariel Pirotti; choreography is by the Barrientoses; and texts are by Argentine playwright, Patricia Suárez Cohen. 

Claudio Gustavo Aprile, the assistant director, appears in various male roles.

Other creative team members are Clifton Chadick and Exquista Agonía, scenic design;  Christopher Annas-Lee, lighting; Dylan Uremovich, projections; Nicolas Onischuk, additional media; David Crandall, sound; P. Vanessa Losada, stage manager; and Tony Koehler, production manager.

Ella es tango is presented in Spanish with English subtitles. 

What: Ella es tango (She is tango)

Masks:  Required.  Temperatures taken at the entrance.

When: Now through June 20, 2021, Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. with open milonga dancing after the show on Wednesday, June 16.

Where: Gala Theatre, 3333 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20010.

Tickets: $45; $30 for seniors (65+), military, and students; $30, group sales (10 or more). To purchase, call (202) 234-7174 or visit www.galatheatre.org. 

Handicapped accessible

Duration: About two hours with one intermission

Metro stations: Columbia Heights or McPherson Square and take a bus or the Circulator from McPherson Square up 14th, or walk two miles and save money and expend calories! Lots of places to eat along the way.

Parking: Discounted at the Giant around the corner and additional parking at Target, both on Park Road, NW.

For more information: Call (202) 234-7174 and/or email info@galatheatre.org

The production was made possible with support from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

patricialesli@gmail.com