On Sept. 19, 1985, an earthquake that measured 8.0 on the Richter scale devastated Mexico City and the surrounding towns, collapsing more than 400 buildings and killing at least 10,000 people.
Among the quake’s victims was Carlos, a Juarez hospital worker who has husband to Lolita and father to their 17-year-old son Santiago, the two central characters in “Masa,” Salomón Maya’s world premiere play that opened Saturday at OnStage Playhouse in Chula Vista. The bittersweet and touching drama takes place eight months after the devastating temblor, but for Lolita, it may as well have happened yesterday.
Performed with raw emotion and authenticity by Veronica Burgess, Lolita has been frozen in time since her husband’s death. Unable to leave her home for fear of another quake, she has closed her tamale shop, become fiercely overprotective of Santiago, is prone to angry outbursts and is convinced that Carlos is speaking to her through the Beatles songs on the radio beneath the ofrenda (altar) she has built in his memory.
Santiago (Julian Ortega in a sincere and heartfelt performance) and their outgoing, sex-obsessed neighbor Dorotea (hilariously played by Denise Lopez) gently and persistently pressure Lolita to go outside and start living again but are unsuccessful.
It’s a stranger — Argentine soccer team staffer Gaston, who shows up at the house to buy Lolita’s famous tamales — who becomes the unlikely changemaker. Gaston is moving with his wife and son to the United States and he invites Santiago to join them in seeking a better life, but only if Lolita will give her blessing, a sacrifice she’s unwilling to make.
Maya, the playwright, stars in “Masa” as Gaston, a character he named after his own father, who passed away last year. And Lolita was modeled after a family friend from Mexico City who was famous for her tamales. As a result, there’s a palpable realness to the characters and situations in this script. They speak in a fast-flowing mix of English and Spanish, they hand-make the masa and tamales onstage, and Brad Dubois’ kitchen scenic design is hyper-realistic.
The play — which runs one hour, 45 minutes, with intermission — was directed by James P. Darvas, OnStage’s executive artistic director, who has produced numerous world premieres at the 60-seat theater over the past four years. Darvas brings a playful touch of magic realism to the story, with the help of the music-filled sound design by Jaden Guererro and the magical lighting by Maxine Levesque.
“Masa” is Maya’s second play produced by OnStage in the past year. The first was “Mugre,” about three Mexican and Mexican American men from different generations working together at a South Bay car wash. Both plays offer a poignant and knowing insight into the lives, hopes and dreams of immigrant families.
‘Masa’
When: 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays; 5 p.m. Sundays. Through Oct. 27
Where: OnStage Playhouse, 291 Third Ave., Chula Vista
Tickets: $15-$25
Phone: (619) 422-7787
Online: onstageplayhouse.org
Originally Published: