Priscilla Lopez, Michael Rosen. All photos by T. Charles Erickson
So, we have a mother who would
rather believe in a dream than reality – a father who is absent, though his
picture is prominent in the living room – a son who yearns to break free yet is
weighed down by family responsibilities – and it’s all told as a memory. Sound
familiar? No, it’s not Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie,” it’s Matthew
Lopez’s “Somewhere,” currently enjoying its East Coast premiere at The Hartford
Stage Company.
The show, directed by Giovanna
Sardelli, is somewhat uneven. There are moments when the dialogue seems drawn
from a Dale Carnegie course and is delivered in a rather painful, “You can do
it kid” manner, and yet there are other moments when the characters come alive,
the tension and conflict is real, and you almost believe in the dream…and then
there are the dance numbers. Dance numbers? Yes, for “Somewhere” is a hybrid of
sorts, a play whose parentage includes not only Lopez and Williams, but Neil
Simon (think “Brighton Beach Memoirs”) and the good old Mickey Rooney/Judy
Garland (may they both rest in peace) “Let’s put on a show” films.
In fact, the show seems filled with
echoes from familiar dramas, films and TV shows, so much so that although this
is a regional premiere you can’t help but think as the two acts unfold: “Gee,
I’ve seen this before.”
The twist Lopez gives to this much
worked-over material is that the family is Latino. The Candelarias live in Manhattan circa 1959.
Broadway, where Inez (Priscilla Lopez) works as an usher, is booming and the
musical the family has fixated on is “West Side Story” – hence the play’s title
(although it can also refer to the absent father who is, well, somewhere – or
to the dreams of going “somewhere” other than where they are that most of the
characters embrace). Unfortunately, the Canderlarias also live on West 66th Street ,
in the heart of the 14 blocks slated for destruction to make way for, among
other things, Lincoln
Center
Jessica Naimy, Cary Tedder, Priscilla Lopez,
Michael Rosen and Zachary Infante
Inez is in denial, much to the
frustration of her eldest son, Alejandro (Michael Rosen), who was once a child
actor in “The King and I” but has since given up his dreams of Broadway. Not so
his younger brother, Francisco (Zachary Infante), who is currently taking
acting lessons in hopes of becoming the new Marlon Brando, that is when Francisco
isn’t being mugged or attacked by gangs. Their sister, Rebecca (the ebullient Jessica
Naimy), dreams of becoming a professional dancer. The possibility that these
aspirations may not be pipe dreams comes in the form of Jamie (Cary Tedder)
who, although his heritage is German-Irish, is a Candelaria by semi-adoption,
having been, as a child, given shelter in the Candelaria’s home after fleeing
his abusive, alcoholic father. He is now an assistant to Jerome Robbins, the
producer, director and choreographer known for his creativity and tyrannical
ways who will direct the film version of “West Side Story” – until he is fired
and replaced by Robert Wise.
Michael Rosen and Priscilla Lopez
Though the play lacks the
underlying tensions and haunting quality of “The Glass Menagerie,” it does have
its dramatic moments, chief among them a soliloquy delivered by Lopez in which
she details how she met her husband, and a confrontation between Alejandro and
Jamie that deals with familial responsibility – both occurring in the second
act. If the dance numbers, choreographed by Kurt Crowley, seem somewhat forced,
they are yet quite entertaining, none more so than in the play’s final moments
when the set recedes, spotlights illuminate a ballroom floor, and the entire
family performs dance routines that culminate with Alejandro ascending a
staircase towards, one must assume, his future.
Zachary Infante, Jessica Naimy and Cary Tedder
The performances are influenced by
the neither-fish-nor-fowl nature of the play – they are, at times, broad and
comedic (sometimes to the point of farce), and at others intense and dramatic.
Infante seems most beset by this contradiction, for his tone and manner of
delivery often seem out of sync with the production, yet if the script had been
nudged just a bit further to the comedic right his performance would have been
dead-on. The other actors fare better, though the constant shift in tone leaves
one often unsure how to respond to what is occurring on stage. Focusing on
individual scenes makes one feel a bit schizophrenic, and yet…the overall
feeling generated by “Somewhere” is positive, for who doesn’t like a Broadway
fantasy in which hard work, pluck and luck lead to success and a role in a
major production…oh, you mean like in “42nd Street”? Yes, just
another ghost haunting “Somewhere.”
“Somewhere runs through May 4. For
tickets or more information call 860-527-5151 or go to www.hartfordstage.org.
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