Review: LA PALOMA AT THE WALL at InSeries At GALA

The only wrong notes in La Paloma at the Wall, the current InSeries production at GALA, take place when the performers stop singing and try to act the clumsy script of this adaptation of the zarazuela, La Verbena de la Paloma (1894). No parallels exist between the migrant mother from Guatemala separated at the US border from her daughter and the charming people in the zarazuela, who exist in a rom-com that has an ugly sexist undercurrent. In a musical theatre landscape where Miss Saigon and Rent prove that musical forms can re-shape to refract their sources (Madama Butterfly and La Bohème) into absolutely contemporary adaptations, a way could exist for a zarazuela to connect a 21st century audience to current events via an earlier medium. But the script for this often lovely production never locates such a way. In the land of zarazuela, as with so much operetta and musical theatre, the lovers are united, and the bad guy is thwarted. But the current migrant situation at the border of the US and Mexico does not provide a parallel to such a satisfactory plot conclusion.

In the title role, Elizabeth Mondragon's warm soprano creates more of the ache and loss that her character feels than anything the migrant woman says. Mondragon's plaintive singing of "I was born so far from here/Si me llegare perdar" perfectly captures her character's mix of pain and determination.

As Francisco, the owner of the bar in Tijuana where the action takes place, Gustavo Ahualli successfully demonstrates his range as a baritone first in a delicate duet with capable mezzo Katharine Fili ("The child is fast asleep") followed by the robustly sung "Cuantos bu?elos nos van a dar?" Ahualli begins the second act with a beautiful love song to his sleeping little girl and leads the lively "Guacamaya" that serves as a finale to the action of the zarazuela.

Nigel Rowe, as Pedro the security guard, brings his bright, lively tenor to "El Nita" in Act I. Mia Rojas, as Susana, superbly sings the familiar "Cielito lindo" in Act II as entertainment for the verbena (fiesta) to which the zarazuela's title refers. Her fine dancing when she has finally reconciled with Julián enlivens the "Guacamaya." Ian McEuen's solid tenor work as Julián contributes to both acts.

"The old man is a creep," says a character in Act II of Don Jack (Don Hilarión in the original); if only that summed things up. What he is is a sexual predator who pays for the company of Susana and then threatens to publicly call her a whore if she isn't nice to him. The character type "dirty old man" has been a part of theatre since Greek and Roman comedy. Medieval comedia dell'arte kept the character type funny; Sondheim made him sing (cue, "Everybody Ought to have a Maid"). But Don Jack in this adaptation has no redeeming qualities. Playing this human stain, Lew Freeman sings well, but his Don Jack seems too nice to represent the creep that he is tasked with revealing.

The singers receive outstanding musical support from a 7-piece ensemble led from the keyboard by Tim Nelson and featuring superb work on the jarana by Patricio Zamorano. Corazon Folklorico DC punctuate the ensemble scenes with some sprightly dancing, choreographed by Alejandro Gongora. Set design by Jonathan Dahm Robertson features savvy use of projections. The wall itself, designed by Luis Peralta and Sarah Craft, became a project for students at the Latin American Youth Center, and it serves as both backdrop and centerpiece for La Paloma at the Wall. Director Nick Olcott suitably orchestrates the production despite the fact that the square peg of Dr. Anna Deeny Morales' script never fits in his circle. What begins and ends as something resembling Greek tragedy (which true stories of 2018's actions towards immigrants certainly do) cannot realistically contain the cream filling that is the original zarazuela.

Performances continue through March 31 at GALA Hispanic Theatre; for tickets, go to www.inseries.org.

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