Theater
review: 'Farmworker's Son' unravels cultural
taboos
By
Michelle Zenarosa
On-line
Forty-Niner
Movimiento
Estudiantil de Teatro y Artes or META brought
to the University Theater, an empowering
and realistic story not only about Latin-Americans,
but also about all Americans who have faced
the affects of assimilation.
META's
new production "The Migrant Farmworker's
Son," which opened Friday captured all the
drama of today's modern world, where the
word "immigrant" is a social taboo, and
it is an everyday struggle to break free
from the past while fighting to preserve
one's cultural heritage.
Although
the play is mainly a drama, humorous one-liners
sprinkled throughout the play brought laughter
to the audience. Written by Silvia Gonzales
and directed by Emiliano Torres, the balance
of tears and laughter ingeniously and successfully
gave the play its character.
The
play opens with the cast working in the
fields when a terrible accident occurs.
It goes on to tell a story of a Mexican
family's struggles to unite in a sea of
culture clashes. The father, played by Rudy
Marquez, longs for Mexico; the mother, played
by Dina Jaregui is accused of valuing American
culture more than her own, becoming more
like a "gringo;" and the lost son with two
names-- an American and a Mexican-- that
knows nothing of his heritage.
The
father is plagued by dark secrets from his
past, and as a result, becomes abusive,
unable to relate to his son, Henry, otherwise
known as Enrique, played by Bon Correa.
Marquez gave an excellent performance of
a dramatic monologue during act two, where
he pours his heart out in an intense and
passionate confession.
Taken
as a whole the production was successful,
emotional and full of symbolism. Anyone
who was raised in an immigrant household,
whether as a first-generation or second-generation,
will relate to the story and will leave
the play delightfully surprised and satisfied,
ready to tell their friends about it.
Committed
to promoting awareness and understanding
of the diverse Latin culture and community
through the arts, META, a student organization
at Cal State Long Beach is dedicated to
providing a forum where artists of all genres
can see the manifestation of their work.
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