Review: GOAT BLOOD at Theatre Rhinoceros

Two co-workers are shooting the bull at an overlook on a starry night – pot gummies about to kick in, beers in hand. We hear crickets chirping and owls hooting along with an ominous growling. So begins the West Coast premiere of Mark-Eugene Garcia’s exploration of “down-low” sexuality caused by cultural traditions. The men are waiting for their double dates to show up, but through their conversations we learn volumes about the two. Pablo (Eric Esquivel-Gutierrez) who grew up with toxic masculinity is a closeted gay. Owen (Casey Spiegel) is married, but fools around, and teases Pablo with a “nervous game” of gay chicken. They also chide each other over cultural identities like Pablo’s belief in Mexican spiritualism and Owen’s sense of white entitlement.

The homoerotic overtones raise some chuckles, and you might think this will be a gay bromance. But Garcia veers off from the light into a dark story of a malevolent bloodsucking chupacabra that is hunting Pablo, and now Owen. Through a flashback we’re introduced to Mr. Sanchez (Adrian Nava) who introduced Pablo to the monster after it killed his brother. The story gets a bit convoluted and the dialogue becomes expository rather than natural. There’s bloody murders and an element of suspense prior to the appearance of the chupacabra (Raye Goh).

Goat Blood says a lot and tackles many themes, perhaps too many. Class issues, anti-colonization, Latino spiritualism, homophobia, and toxic masculinity all jumble together. Owen turns out to be a gay baiting jerk, and Pablo becomes the caretaker of the monster. I’m not sure it all made sense, but it was enjoyable to watch. Gay supernatural material may be an underdeveloped niche.

Goat Blood continues through July 19th. Tickets and information available at therhino.org

Photo credits: Scott Sidorsky