Review: HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF STARS at TimeLine Theatre Company

Sandra Delgado’s new play HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF STARS hits the stage at an eerily relevant time. Set in 2015, it follows Clara, a Green Card holder who’s been in the United States since she was two. Now facing the possibility of deportation on two counts of cannabis possession, Clara may have to leave behind the only home she’s ever known — and her 12-year-old daughter Stella, her ex-husband David, and her father. Delgado’s story is an important one, especially right now with the forcible ICE presence on the streets of Chicago. That said, Delgado’s storytelling methods are straightforward and overtly didactic.

I understand Delgado’s impulse to use this play to educate audiences on the immigrant experience — and the complicated hoops that many immigrants need to jump through to stay in the country. But HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF STARS almost always shows and doesn’t tell. The play is grounded in realism and exposition. In one scene, Clara meets with a lawyer (Charín Álvarez) to discuss her case. This becomes a literal platform to impart information on the audience. In another, Delgado delivers a monologue outlining precisely what she loves about America. 

While realism is usually the name of the game, director Kimberly Senior and choreographer Raquel Torre introduce the rest of the ensemble as a silent Greek chorus. At certain points, the other actors accompany Delgado onstage and execute a series of abstract movement patterns. This choice befuddled me. 

The scenes with Clara and her family are the most poignant. Delgado has a wonderful and real rapport with Charlotte Arias (who alternates with Simona Gueglio-Saccone in the role of Stella). Arias nails the mannerisms of a sassy, but still naive 12-year-old. Delgado and Arias go lovingly toe-to-toe in many scenes. The play also convincingly portrays the complicated relationship between Clara and her ex David (the genial Brian King). Ramón Camín is likewise exceedingly warm and appealing as Clara’s father Papi, who still mourns the loss of his wife. Props to understudy Joshua David Thomas for taking on the role of Clara’s friend Ruben (and cannabis dealer) on opening night (the role is usually played by Donovan Marquis Diaz). As Clara, Delgado assumes her usual contemplative mannerisms. She frequently stares off into the void, contemplating her fate.

I think HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF STARS succeeds at making a situation that seems like an absurd nightmare feel entirely real. Clara faces the possibility that she’ll be wrested away from her family and sent back to a place she doesn’t know (the script intentionally does not name Clara’s country of origin to prove this point.) Delgado’s script also makes clear that Clara doesn’t navigate all the parts of the immigration and citizenship application process perfectly — but that it’s nearly impossible to do so. Clara’s experience seems to be a composite of the challenges immigrants face. While that meant I didn’t think all of the choices necessarily aligned to her character, that was an enlightening part of the story. 

HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF STARS comes at an eerily relevant time. While I didn’t think all elements of the material worked, this play is a good reminder that navigating the immigrant experience without making any mistakes is an impossible feat. Clara is a native English speaker and tax payer who’s only ever known life in the U.S. — and the play primarily asserts that accordingly she deserves the same rights as U.S. citizens as a productive member of American society and as a mother. 

TimeLine Theatre Company’s production of HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF STARS runs through November 9 at Lookingglass Theatre Company in the Water Tower Water Works, 163 East Pearson.