Our Man in Santiago by Mark Wilding at Odyssey Theatre Ensemble

Not everything goes smoothly. Especially regime change. Of course, when the CIA sends a glee club to overthrow Chile’s President, what can you expect next? The answer is OUR MAN IN SANTIAGO. Chile. 1973. After the first bungled attempt to overthrow President Allende, the CIA sends in two decidedly unsuitable agents to oust the Chilean President.

Mark Wilding (Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal) developed his funny, sarcastic and ironic play after reading about the factual attempt to change the Chilean regime by sending in agents posing as a glee club. The resultant play is the fictional next attempt at regime change. But it’s not very far from the truth. The play is both farcical and an expose of the reality of the human condition.

The two agents sent to do the job- one a blustery opportunist (Mark Irvingsen) and the other an idealistic novice (Troy Guthrie), must eliminate Allende or suffer the wrath of President Nixon (Edward Giron) and strategist Henry Kissinger (Allan Wasserman). Add to the mix a saucy hotel maid (Angelina Ramirez), some booze, some missiles, and the elements of a tense spy thriller, and you find yourself in the hands of OUR MAN IN SANTIAGO.