The world premiere play by Noelle Viñas is about a family dust-up over heritage, privilege and politics
There are a thousand ideas swirling around in Noelle Viñas play “Derecho,” which made its world premiere this week at La Jolla Playhouse.
During the 95-minute play — which is named after an extreme combination of winds and thunderstorms — the six characters wrestle with issues of racism, privilege, politics, poverty, parenting, immigration, trauma, social status, family secrets and more. If that sounds like a lot, it is. Although there are moments of resonance in the story and it ends well, the play gets bogged down with too much talk (and too little storm action).
The play is set in a luxurious home in affluent Alexandria, Va., as a massive derecho blasts its way across the state. Its central characters are Uruguayan American half-sisters Eugenia, who is running for public office on a progressive platform, and younger sibling Mercedes, a musician who is broke after the cancellation of her concert tour and has no place to live.
While Eugenia lives a prosperous life with her attorney husband, Gabe, she has lost touch with her heritage, and Mercedes — in magical realism-style breakaway scenes nicely staged by director Delicia Turner Sonnenberg — is trying to help Eugenia get her Latin rhythms back.
On this stormy day, Eugenia and Gabe have invited over her scrappy childhood friend-turned-Latinx-community leader, José, in hopes of recruiting him as campaign manager. Adding to the mix are Mercedes’ wealthy and White ex-boyfriend, Jeff, and Jose’s wife, Soledad.
Eugenia, played with cool emotional reserve by Ashley Alvarez, is unashamedly ambitious and feels she can do good for the community, but she’s hiding an ugly secret. The fiery Caro Guzmán, who plays Mercedes, wears her deeply wounded heart on the outside. The understated Luis Vega aptly portrays the open-hearted kindness of Gabe.
Jorge Sánchez Díaz, who plays José, is authentic as an idealistic political outsider who wants in, but has a spotty past. As Soledad, Carla Navarro adds lightness and humor to the story. And Eric Hagen brings unexpected heart to Jeff, who wants both Mercedes and an opportunity to use his inherited wealth to correct his family’s racist past.
The play’s script weaves together English and Spanish, which is easy enough for non-Spanish-speakers to understand, but its fast-paced, talky, politics-laden dialogue becomes overwhelming, particularly in the hard-to-follow first half-hour. Fortunately, in the last half-hour there are some surprise twists that help explain the bread-crumb clues Viñas had sprinkled earlier in the play.
Tanya Orellana’s lush scenic design has several tucked-in hidden surprises, Dominique Fawn Hill designed costumes and Sherrice Mojgani designed lighting.
Germán Martínez’s excellent sound design delivers the aural sensation of a major storm, but for a play named “Derecho” I expected to see more special effects than a few falling leaves, some flickering lights and a wet shirt. Obviously the true storm in this play is between the characters, but the storm and the script didn’t sweep me away.
