2009 PASSION FOR THEATER 2010

19th

Season


Press Reviews


El Insomnio Americano (The American Insomnia)

AllArtsReview4U, by Bob Anthony
DC Theatre Scene, by Rosalind Lacy
Washington Post, by Celia Wren

Abanico de Soltera (Fan of a Single Woman)

AllArtsReview4U, by Bob Anthony
DC Theatre Scene, by Rosalind Lacy

Zapatos Andaluces (Walking in Light)

Metro Latino USA, by Rafael Crisóstomo

Nuestra Señora de las Nubes (Our Lady of the Clouds)

DC Theatre Scene, by Rosalind Lacy

El Gato y la Gaviota (The Cat and the Seagull)

DC Theatre Scene, by Rosalind Lacy

La Cáscara del Huevo (The Eggshell)

DC Theatre Scene, by Rosalind Lacy

AllArtsReview4U

The finest reviews of the performing and visual arts from the DC and Baltimore area plus contributions from around the country and the world!

El Insomnio Americano (The American Insomnia)

by Bob Anthony

Teatro de la Luna has opened its 12th annual festival of drama (To 11/21) with a standup comedian, Saulo Garcia, doing two hours of commenting on "THE AMERICAN INSOMNIA" (To 11/17) during which he presented humorous examples of the foibles encountered by a Hispanic entering the USA. He also chided Hispanics in the audience about the strange differences found in different countries...the visitors from his country, Colombia, fairing the best...of course. He was very affable and had a "cool" delivery which charmed everyone in the full audience. He strongly resembled comedian Bob Newhart in his turn of phrase and his improvization as he toyed with audience members. He kept up audience interest throughout the two hours.


DC Theatre Scene

Washington’s Liveliest Theatre Website

El Insomnio Americano (The American Insomnia)

by Rosalind Lacy

Before a packed house at the Gunston Arts Center, Saulo Garcia, a one-man miracle takes us on a jittery joy-ride representing a cast of thousands— the immigrants who trade in their Latino identities for the American Dream.

Backed by a set of silk screen prints – a close up of George Washington from the U.S. dollar, an etching of the Statue of Liberty, and a finger print – Garcia’s predominant role is as a playful character with an expressive face and soulful eyes. Costumed in scruffy jeans, duck-billed cap, dorky tennis shoes, and a variety of T-shirts (one moss-green, black-lettered with JETS), he is a “comedic troubadour,” in modern dress.

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Washington Post

El Insomnio Americano (The American Insomnia)

In 'Insomnio,' Nothing Gets Lost in Translation

Spanish-Language Satire Deals With Cross-Cultural Issues

by Celia Wren

Special to The Washington Post

Friday, October 16, 2009; 11:17 PM

If only all last-minute fixes were as satisfactory as "El Insomnio Americano (The American Insomnia)."

When travel complications recently derailed a scheduled visit by a Colombian production, the 12th International Festival of Hispanic Theater, in Arlington, was in need of a new opener. Teatro de la Luna, which stages the annual cultural smorgasbord, lucked out by snagging Saulo García's "Insomnio," a Spanish-language solo show that's sly, funny, varied, spiffily produced and -- as if that weren't enough -- topical.

A Colombian living in Miami, García has a good-humored stage presence that's irresistible, even if you don't instantly understand every word coming out of his mouth. Performances of "Insomnio" (which continues through Saturday) and of other upcoming productions in the festival (which runs through Nov. 21) feature live English-language dubbing for Anglophone theatergoers. On opening night of "Insomnio," the gales of laughter that erupted regularly in the house occasionally made the dubbing hard to hear -- particularly during García's frequent bouts of improvisational audience-ribbing. But his animated face is so readable and fun to watch, and his vocal inflections so informative, that ticket holders stranded in the lingo of Shakespeare will have little trouble rolling with the moment.

"Insomnio," whose title puns on the phrase "the American dream," deals with cross-cultural misunderstandings and the difficulties immigrants may encounter after moving to the United States in search of a better life. With immigration a lightning-rod issue in this country -- as episodes in the health-care debate have demonstrated -- the show necessarily hums with political resonance. But García's tone in his monologue-skit-standup hybrid is lighthearted, at least on the surface. His expression now impish, now panicked, now insouciant. He riffs on the discomforts of sleeping on acquaintances' sofa beds, the perils of pumping your own gas when you're used to full service, the vexations of living in fear of law enforcement (even when the uniformed officer turns out to be a mall guard) and other potential stateside hardships. He also lampoons existence in Colombia, where, he blithely announces, roller coasters are unnecessary because muggings are such a good source of adrenaline thrills.

García periodically picks up a guitar and sings a satirical ballad, at one point asking audience members for their names and generating allusive verses on the spot. Performed on a simple set featuring bright-colored silk screens patterned with passport-control stamps, "Insomnio" boasts classy lighting and sound design. (García and Orlando Zuluaga composed the original music.) The show has appeared elsewhere in the United States and ran for several years at New York's Repertorio Español. The professional experience shows.

In the next few weeks, the International Festival of Hispanic Theater will host six other productions, including the Argentine "Abanico de Soltera (Fan of a Single Woman)," a one-hander that pays tribute to Federico García Lorca; "El Gato y la Gaviota (The Cat and the Seagull)," a bilingual family play based on a tale by Luis Sepúlveda and mounted by Teatro de la Luna; and the Venezuelan "Dra. Sexo (Dr. Sex)," adapted from Dario Fo's "Tengamos el Sexo en Paz (Let's Have Sex in Peace)." So even after "Insomnio" drifts off, the Gunston Arts Center will still be wide awake.

El Insomnio Americano (The American Insomnia), by Saulo García; directed by Leandro Fernández; runs through Oct. 17. Part of the 12th International Festival of Hispanic Theater, produced by Teatro de la Luna, which runs through Nov. 21. Most shows in Spanish with live English dubbing. At Gunston Arts Center -- Theater Two, 2700 S. Lang St., Arlington. Call 703-548-3092 or 202-882-6227 or visit teatrodelaluna.org.

© 2009 Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive

AllArtsReview4U

The finest reviews of the performing and visual arts from the DC and Baltimore area plus contributions from around the country and the world!

Abanico de Soltera (Fan of a Single Woman)

by Bob Anthony

The script doesn't do justice to the excellent acting of Andrea Juliá in 'THE FAN OF A SINGLE WOMAN" at this 12th Annual International Festival of Hispanic Theater. She was a consummate actress as she played out a fantasy of unrequited love and used a toy male doll to recreate her romance. Hers was an award-winning performance! She constantly led with her diaphragm like a skilled dancer or actor and sculpted her body into a gamut of different emotions that were all stunning works of art. Yes, the abstract content of the script may have confused some but her reading her "poet's" poetry along with stunning metaphors often gave chills. ("He was a man of the world...no the world was in this man".) She developed more empathy on stage than a dozen of our top actresses. Gustavo Testa provided excellent and sensitive running-music for the production. This may be the "tops" in the festival.


DC Theatre Scene

Washington’s Liveliest Theatre Website

Abanico de Soltera (Fan of a Single Woman)

by Rosalind Lacy

Whether Andrea Julia is fluttering a fan, talking to a doll, or writhing in agony with a wire sculpture, this chameleon-like, Argentine actress embodies Federico Garcia Lorca, the great Spanish playwright, and the voices of his characters in a tour-de-force performance in Fan of a Single Woman (Abanico de Soltera). The staging is stark. A trunk, stuffed with costumes, and stacked with suitcases and a hat box is set center stage. From overhead, dangling wire sculptures replicate Lorca’s grotesque drawings, as mysterious as the playwright’s plays. Against this backdrop, Julia (accent on the last syllable), costumed in a sheath of beige lace, re-enacts a collage of his most famous female roles in a dramatic monologue, written by the actress for herself. “I knew it all,” Julia intones, like an overture to a musical composition, as she launches into her carefully crafted, stream-of-consciousness. What Julia does to make this poetic theater so gut wrenching and compelling is in the use of body movement that transcends mime.

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Metro Latino USA

Continúa con éxito en Arlington el XII FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL DE TEATRO HISPANO

Abanico de Soltera (Fan of a Single Woman)

by Rafael Crisóstomo

De sencillamente magistral podríamos catalogar la obra Zapatos Andaluces que hasta este fin de semana presenta el Teatro de la Luna dentro del marco del XII FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL DE TEATRO HISPANO

Allí quedamos impresionados por el personaje Any... Una artista, una estrella en decadencia, una mujer que ha perdido todo… Y aún así, optó por volar al infinito de posibilidades.

Una metáfora sobre el arte, la vida, el amor y la muerte. Un espectáculo donde se conjuga la ilusión, el canto, el humor, la magia y el baile. Una historia de vida, una historia de amores.

Una vorágine de sentimientos, por momentos muy encontrados, nos mantiene en vilo en un tiempo que no lo pudimos calcular.

La actriz uruguaya Susana Anselmi da vida a Any con una calidad interpretativa realmente hipnotizante. Esa nostalgia de vida de una actriz decadente que por momentos bordea la locura pero con esa lógica de la vida misma y que nos lleva y trae de este mundo con facilidad ilógica en un mundo disparatado.

Momentos de hilaridad y drama al unísono signados por la tragedia en el fracaso –o el amor–, donde Any escapa con facilidad increible dotada por esa magia cultivada en su largo camino del circo en un interesante diálogo entre el amor y la muerte manejados en un abanico de posibilidades de la vida misma.

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DC Theatre Scene

Washington’s Liveliest Theatre Website

Nuestra Señora de las Nubes (Our Lady of the Clouds)

by Rosalind Lacy

Aristides Vargas, who was born in Argentina but lives in Ecuador, takes us on a jaunty, if not disjointed journey that evokes that hollow, pit-in-the-stomach feeling that comes from arriving in strange, unfamiliar places.

Our Lady of the Clouds (Nuestra Senora de las Nubes) reminds us that no matter where we travel or relocate, we are exiles carrying the same emotional baggage. Physically we may be in a new place, but in our minds we’re in the past. We may be unsure of where we are; but we never forget where we were.

Fellow travelers through their life journeys, Bruna (Viena Gonzalez) and Oscar (Claudio Rivera) meet in a nondiscript location, and discover they are from the same town, Our Lady of the Clouds, but neither recognizes the other. Both are hefting huge suitcases, decorated with black and white feathers on one side, and shuttered windows on the other. The images on these prominent props are well-chosen.

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DC Theatre Scene

Washington’s Liveliest Theatre Website

El Gato y la Gaviota (The Cat and the Seagull)

by Rosalind Lacy

Every storyteller knows that a good fable has a moral. The Cat and the Seagull has a beautiful one, loaded with enough imaginative power to spellbind adults as well as pre-schoolers for 50 magical minutes. But look out! One of the cats making an aisle entrance may land in your lap.

Jacqueline Briceno’s stage direction, backed by co-director Marisol Flamenco seems aimed at drawing out the physicality of the Teatro de la Luna actors, who make the bird and cat roles credible and real. The results are a joy to watch as the actors’ gleeful zest shines through for this cautionary tale about the dangers of ocean oil pollution. But what is also impressive is Briceno’s adaptation of Luis Sepulveda’s novel History of a Seagull and the Cat Who Taught Her How to Fly. Her snappy bilingual dialogue, intermingling Spanish with occasional remarks in English, allow the English-only speakers to follow the action without headsets or sur-titles on an overhead screen. It’s just enough to give the narrative clarity without slowing the pace. (It also reinforces learning two languages at once.) Nonetheless, it certainly helps to know the plot.

Don’t be confused by how the play begins at the end of the story and then flashes back to the beginning. Presenting the story this way hypes the suspense and keeps you on edge. Colonnello (Marcella Ferlito), a rather snarly, menacing cat, and Sabelotodo, whose name means Know-It-All (Alex Alburqueque) are searching for their missing friend Zorbas (Peter Pereya), the cat with a conscience whose mission has earned the cats’ respect. Zorbas, a black cat, has succeeded in teaching the little seagull, Afortunata (also played by Ferlito) to fly. But Zorbas, troubled by an empty nest now that the little bird has flown away, has isolated himself in the church belfry to scan the sky and feel closer to her. It is only when Zorbas relives how he not only protected but also adopted Afortunata as a daughter that we begin to understand the back story…..which is:

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DC Theatre Scene

Washington’s Liveliest Theatre Website

La Cáscara del Huevo (The Eggshell)

by Rosalind Lacy

In The Eggshell (La Cascara del Huevo), a comic-satire conceived by the wonderfully inventive Killbob Theater Company from Cordoba, Argentina, a middle-class family is on a journey to the Super Duper Great Country, which could be any developed country in the world. The travelers are hoping that a mysterious estate settlement will bail them out of their financial problems.

First we hear the eerie sounds of a dog barking in the blackout, a foreboding for what’s ahead. The catchy, original musical arrangement, by Matias Ibarra, announces the entrance of the three-person acting team onto a bare, black box stage. An elderly maiden Auntie (Mariela Carrera), is traveling to hear the reading of the will that promises her an inheritance, left to her in the old country. Younger relatives, the young Mother, ( Daniela Trakal) and Daddy, (Matias Ibarra) are her companions and guardians. From overhead speakers, an airport official speaks with authority, like the voice of God:

Have you paid your fees? Cha-ching (vocal sounds imitating a cash-register)

“What’s the purpose of your visit?”

“Tourism? “Or terrorism?”

“Have you trafficked in drugs?”

“Do you have subversive ideas?”

The tempo speeds up: “Are you carrying needles, scissors, knives, automatic machine guns, grenades, or nitro-glycerine…?”

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Our visiting troupes

travel by

Continental Airlines

 
TICKETS
Regular

Students and

Senior Citizens

(over 60)

ONE SHOW

$30

$25
3-TICKET FESTIVAL PASS
$80 $65
FULL FESTIVAL PASS
$150 $125

 

Shows

Week 1
Colombia

Thursday 10/15 (8PM)

Friday 10/16 (8PM)

Saturday 10/17 (3PM)

Saturday 10/17 (8PM)

(SOLD OUT)

Week 2
Argentina

Thursday 10/22 (8PM)

Friday 10/23 (8PM)

Saturday 10/24 (3PM)

Saturday 10/24 (8PM)

Week 3
Uruguay

Thursday 10/29 (8PM)

Friday 10/30 (8PM)

Saturday 10/31 (3PM)

Saturday 10/31 (8PM)

Week 4
Dominican  Republic
Thursday 11/5 (8PM)

Friday 11/6 (8PM)

Saturday 11/7 (3PM)
Saturday 11/7 (8PM)
USA

Saturday 11/7  (11:30AM)

(SOLD OUT)

Week 5
Venezuela

Thursday  11/12 (8PM)

(SOLD OUT)

Friday 11/13 (8PM)

(SOLD OUT)

Saturday 11/14 (3PM)

(SOLD OUT)

Saturday 11/14 (8PM)

(SOLD OUT)

USA

Saturday 11/14  (11:30AM)

(SOLD OUT)

Week 6
Argentina

Thursday  11/19 (8PM)

Friday 11/20(8PM)

Saturday 11/21 (3PM)
Saturday 11/21 (8PM)