Review: SOMEWHERE at Guthrie Theater

The immigrant story has been told countless times before but there is something within Matthew López’s play, Somewhere, that digs deep inside you and imprints itself there like no other story.

The Candelaria family is full of dreamers, headed by the strong willed and ever fearless matriarch, Inez, who simply wants the best for her children (both biological and taken in). They are rooted in the aspirations to one day make it in show business on the stages of New York City. They work their daily jobs to make ends meet, while ensuring that they spend just a little bit of their hard earned money on training to make those dreams come true. When the family is informed that they are being evicted to make way for the newly announced Mecca of the arts, Lincoln Center, they come to terms with a harsh realization: dreams come with a cost. Focused on the future of the family’s survival, Inez’s oldest son, Alejandro urges his family to deal with their reality, while putting his own dream aside for what he thinks is best for them.

Matthew López has crafted a work that not only feels relevant to our modern times but shows a slice of history that few know, the erasure of a vibrant and thriving section of New York City for the, so-called, sake of progress. He has created a cast of characters who feel as if they could be our own neighbors or found family. They share the goals of any family who immigrated to the United States and aim to make a name for themselves, while remaining hopeful for the success of their offspring.

His use of an actual historical event as the setting for the piece only makes the family more relatable. The audience is forced to confront how they would feel if they were suddenly told that they had to vacate their home so that the city could progress. Lopez has created a piece of theater that is both hilarious yet heart wrenching, a difficult feat to be sure.

Embodying the matriarch of the Candelaria family is Maggie Bofill who is an utter revelation. Every gesture and word spoken feels authentic and real. She doesn’t perform the role, she lives within it. Bofill has the incredible ability to have you laughing one minute and on the verge of tears the next. She gives Inez a strong willed persona but also lets us see the cracks underneath the facade, that threaten to break and allow her to show her vulnerabilities. These moments are most evident when Inez is confronted with the fact that just because she dreams something, it doesn't mean that it will magically transpire.

This reality is brought to the forefront multiple times as she is matched against Preston Perez’s Alejandro. A former Broadway child actor who sacrifices all of his aspirations to one day be an adult on Broadway, paying the price of being the man of the house. Perez’s performance is a knock out in every sense of the word. His blend of showing Alejandro’s desire to see his siblings succeed, yet also trying to manage their expectations of making it big as they work towards their auditions, provides a remarkable performance.

Perez never pushes Jandro’s emotions too far, he creates a characterization that will look very familiar to some people’s overly protective/realist sibling but also caring older sibling. His wanting what is best for them but also trying to take care of his mother who refuses to see the writing on the wall of what is to come if they don’t embrace change and realize the world is anything but fair, especially for immigrants.

Alejandro is the foundation of the piece but his siblings, Francisco (played at this performance by Antonio Teodoro), a young man who can’t seem to stay out of trouble and has turned his energy to pursuing acting, and Rebecca (Kassandra Cruz), a young woman who is striving to master her dance techniques to hopefully get her start on Broadway at a young age, just as Jandro did, round out the family of dreamers.

Teodoro is nothing short of charming in the role. He brings a magnetic golden retriever kind of energy to the piece that is not only infectious but used to brilliant effect to break the tension at times when it rises to palpable levels. Teodoro’s skills are on full display when Francisco’s boisterous energy is deflated at a moments notice throughout the piece when forced to be serious as he realizes that laughter and jokes can’t solve all of our problems.

Then there is the final piece of the Candelaria puzzle, Rebecca. Kassandra Cruz exudes optimism and glee continuously while at the same time trying to hold back Becky’s doubts and fears of failing to achieve her dream of being on Broadway. Cruz provides a much needed reminder that we should always try pushing through the darkness in the hopes that there is light at the end of the tunnel. She not only embodies the drive to be successful but she also shows that it is okay to have doubts in oneself and to lean on those around you who only want the best for you, even if it means you don’t become a Broadway star.

It would be a miss to not remark on the last member of this incredible company, Sam Stoll, who effortlessly takes on the role of the non-Puerto Rican “taken in at a young age” member of the Candelaria family, Jamie. Stoll’s provides a grounded performance as a white man who has been able to make it in the show business industry but wants to see the same success for his adoptive family. While his forward thinking outlook is admirable, Jamie is forced to see that the rest of the world is not as forward thinking. Stoll’s personification of optimism incarnate is charming and inspired and it is an especially powerful moment when he and Perez’s Alejandro confront the reality that though they consider one another family, there is a divide between them that they cannot ignore.

There is so much depth within the performances of this cast and it is only enhanced by the masterful direction of Joseph Haj who has crafted an intimate piece of theater where the size of the dreams radiating from its characters threatens to break apart the walls that they inhabit. Haj  uses the limited space of the apartments to force his actors to confront one another at close proximity, even when the words they are speaking seem to be driving a wedge between them. It not only feels intimate, like we live within these walls as well but at times it feels as though we, the audience, are intruding on conversations that we are not meant to be apart of, a testament to his craft.

Working side by side with Haj is choreographer, Maija García, who is a visionary with a capital “V” when it comes to movement. The grace and power she allows the actors to have as they move through the space is unparalleled and it only makes sense that she is apart of a piece that is so heavily involved with West Side Story (as she choreographed the Guthrie Theater’s 2018 production of West Side Story). García’s craft is on full display, particularly when the characters are dancing to the music of WSS itself. It is fluid, mesmerizing, and gorgeous to behold.

Minneapolis / St. Paul Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. 9 TO 5: THE MUSICAL (Eagan Summer Theatre)

12.5% of votes

2. URINETOWN (Buffalo Community Theatre)

10.8% of votes

3. CHURCH BASEMENT LADIES (Rags to Rags Productions)

7.6% of votes

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