Entertainment :: Theatre
Boleros for the Disenchanted by Joseph Erbentraut
EDGE ContributorTuesday Jul 14, 2009 Playwright José Rivera first came to prominence in 2005 when his screenplay for The Motorcycle Diaries, a touching film based on Che Guevara’s accounts of a motorcycle trip, was nominated for "Best Adapted Screenplay" at the Oscars. Rivera became the first Puerto Rican nominated by the Academy in that category.
Since his successful foray on the silver screen, Rivera has returned to his form of choice - the theater. The latest fruits of his labor - Boleros for the Disenchanted - is currently making its Chicago debut as it closes the Goodman Theatre’s season.
The production, directed by Henry Godinez, is based off of stories told to Rivera by his mother about her courtship with his father and is told in two distinct halves. In the first, we are introduced to Flora, a young Puerto Rican woman who’d recently been deceived by her fiancee and vowed to never love again, that is, until she meets Eusebio, who proposes to Flora and convinces her to move to America. The story is told through campy, playful language in front of a backdrop of flowers and greenery, reds and oranges.
In the second half, we catch up with the couple forty years later, living in the heart of rural America and feeling the effects of a long life filled with challenges. The language remains sharp, but here the reds and oranges have been replaced with grays and pale blues and the flowers with a glowing television set. In front of the television set, sits Eusebio, who has been paralyzed by a mysterious infection which claimed his legs. Flora stands by his side to aid him, with her main contact to the outside world coming through her volunteer work with the Church.
Thus, Boleros tells a love story through its bookends: The playful, albeit reluctant, beginnings and the tender endings. In examining the contrast, the audience is left to answer the question of whether love can endure all of the things that so often come in between: Deteriorating health, infidelity, stagnation.
In their performances of the story, the show’s six-person ensemble deserves much recognition, particularly Sandra Marquez (who plays Flora’s mother in the first act, and Older Flora in the second) and Joe Minoso (Young Eusebio in the first act, Oskar in the second). Both actors master their characters and capture the essence of the play’s central question - "Does love endure?" - with their every movement and word spoken.
The rest of the ensemble was also strong, though Elizabeth Ledo’s performance as Young Flora in the first act felt somewhat forced, especially when compared with her more natural performance as Eusebio’s nurse in the second. At times, Ledo’s delivery resembled more of a television sitcom style than a theatrical production feel - delivering laugh line after laugh line with cartoonish expressions. Other characters also came close to this vibe at various points, particularly in the first half, but it was not as distracting to the story line.
That said, this production is incredible. The set design, by Linda Buchanan, is beautiful but not overdone, perfect in the way in which it visually juxtaposes the first and second halves. The acting is, for the most part, sensational, creating characters that the audience can really feel, whose motivations can be understood and emotions shared. And of course, Rivera’s script is masterful, particularly with its personal touch owing back to his family’s Puerto Rican roots.
Boleros is grade-A theater, tickling each of one’s senses and leaving you in tears at the beauty of it all. This is a true gift to Chicago’s theater scene - don’t miss it.
"Boleros for the Disenchanted" continues at the Goodman’s Albert Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn, through July 26. Tickets may be purchased at the box office, online at www.goodmantheatre.org or by calling 312-443-3800.
Joseph covers news, arts and entertainment and lives in Chicago.
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