{"id":362733,"date":"2024-12-15T18:56:01","date_gmt":"2024-12-15T23:56:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/?p=362733"},"modified":"2024-12-15T18:56:01","modified_gmt":"2024-12-15T23:56:01","slug":"rollicking-and-witchy-laughs-in-spanish-code-switches-at-1st-stage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2024\/12\/15\/rollicking-and-witchy-laughs-in-spanish-code-switches-at-1st-stage\/","title":{"rendered":"Rollicking and witchy ‘Laughs in Spanish’ code-switches at 1st Stage"},"content":{"rendered":"

The last play of the year at 1st Stage, Laughs in Spanish<\/em>, directed by Elena Velasco (she\/ella), is a rollicking, code-switching, witchy, and wonderful 90 minutes of fun.<\/p>\n

Over-the-top diva matriarch Estella (Fran Tapia) is the play\u2019s heart and soul. The fun begins when the Hollywood movie star unexpectedly whisks into Miami for Art Basel, the most monied and prestigious art happening, and into her daughter\u2019s gallery, which should be having its biggest show of the year \u2014 except the art has been stolen.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Fran Tapia (Estella) in \u2018Laughs in Spanish.\u2019 Photo by Teresa Castracane Photography.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This leads to some soul-searching and comic eruptions among the five-person ensemble. The gallery owner, Estella\u2019s only daughter, Mariana (Pepin, they\/he\/she), is beside herself. Her intern, Carolina, an MFA student (a delightful Lenny Mendez), is all too ready to step in with her own art. Her boyfriend, Juan (Camilo Linares, he\/him), a policeman, is investigating the crime \u2014 and with perfect soulful, clueless side-kick comic timing, steals almost every scene he\u2019s in.<\/p>\n

But the essence of this comedy is female and witchy. Estella has too often been relegated to playing stereotyped cleaning women, though with her big personality, she should be a star. This is her moment.<\/p>\n

In key dramatic scenes with her daughter, who has felt distanced and abandoned by her mother, Estella is called a bruja<\/em>, a witch. It\u2019s in the scenes between mother and daughter that we see the power of both women (and these two actors). The daughter\u2019s emotional depth, breadth, and pain are revealed as are the mother\u2019s. In comedy, there is always tragedy.<\/p>\n

And there is also love. A sweet love story unfolds between the hard-charging Mariana and Estella\u2019s assistant, Jenny, played by a sure-fired Laura Artesi.<\/p>\n

\"\"
TOP: Lenny Mendez (Carolina), Camilo Linares (Juan), and Pepin (Mariana); ABOVE: Pepin (Mariana) and Laura Artesi (Jenny), in \u2018Laughs in Spanish.\u2019 Photos by Teresa Castracane Photography.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ultimately, the witchy is centerstage. And it\u2019s brought to life in Estella\u2019s surreal, funny, and deeply moving monologue, when the play has its most thrilling moment. A nod to the scenic design, especially in this incantatory monologue, should go to Jessica Alexandra Cancino.<\/p>\n

The play by Alexis Scheer, which won the Kennedy Center\u2019s Harold & Mimi Steinberg Award, gives a big nod to the Jewish Columbian roots of this native-born Miami playwright. A key part of the play\u2019s fun \u2014 and social satire \u2014 is how the characters all code-switch and move from the white world and its cadences and accents to their own.<\/p>\n

However, this is a comedy, and the humor is joyful, one of the connections gained \u2014 and missed, of true identities and motives revealed, and of the long-lasting and endearing love of a mother and daughter for one another rediscovered and celebrated. The major issues and conflicts of the day, of identity and racism, are skimmed over and left for another play to delve into. Family and love are the order of the day. The Laughs in Spanish<\/em> are familial, uncontained, and insistingly joyful.<\/p>\n

Lastly, the sound design by Tosin Olufolabi adds perfectly to the Miami Latin vibe of the show, and when the ensemble breaks out into a salsa at the end of the show, and they urge the audience to break in and dance too, most of us, this reviewer included, are eagerly awkward but ready to join in the fun.<\/p>\n

Running Time: 90 minutes, no intermission.<\/p>\n

EXTENDED: <\/strong>Laughs in Spanish<\/strong> <\/em><\/a>plays through January 5, 2025<\/strong> (Thursdays at 7:30 pm, Fridays at 7:30 pm, Saturdays at 2 pm and 7:30 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm), at 1st Stage<\/a>, located at 1524 Spring Hill Road, Tysons, VA. Purchase tickets ($55 for general admission, with limited tickets for $25 and $40 at each performance) by calling the box office at 703-854-1856, going online,<\/strong><\/a> or in person before each performance.\u00a0Select performances are open-captioned and\/or audio-described. Open seating.<\/p>\n

The playbill for Laughs in Spanish<\/em>\u00a0is online here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Laughs in Spanish<\/em> is performed in English con un poquito de espa\u00f1ol.<\/p>\n

COVID Safety: <\/strong>1st Stage is now a mask-optional space with select mask-required performances offered for each show. See 1st Stage\u2019s complete COVID Safety Information here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The fun comedy gives a big nod to the Jewish Columbian roots of native-born Miami playwright Alexis Sheer. By CAROLINE BOCK<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":362741,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[1745,482],"class_list":{"0":"post-362733","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-reviews","8":"tag-alexis-scheer","9":"tag-elena-velasco"},"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nRollicking and witchy 'Laughs in Spanish' code-switches at 1st Stage - 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