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Dreamlandia
By Octavio Solis
Directed by Cecilie Keenan
Produced by teatro vista theatre with a view
At Victory Gardens Greenhouse main stage
2257 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL
Call 773-871-3000, tickets $20 - $35
Thursdays & Fridays at 8 pm
Saturdays at 8:30 pm
Sundays at 3 pm
Running time is 2 hours, 40 minutes with intermission
Through May 4, 2008
Over ambitious Dreamlandia tries too hard
Teatro Vista Theatre, a fine Equity Latino theatre company, has mounted many fine Latino based plays over the years featuring outstanding ensemble acting with provocative subject matter. Dreamlandia by Octavio Solis, now in an ambitious production at Victory Gardens Greenhouse, simply tries too hard to tell too many stories. Solis’ has much to say and peppers his story with many long speeches many of which are flowery and irrelevant to the story. This show needs major cuts plus it needs a much tighter focus.
Dreamlandia also suffers from uneven tones—it attempts to be a ‘street-cred” polemic and a darkly crude comedy at the same time. The radical changes from funny to serious and from fantasy to reality sprinkled with Spanish idioms made the play and much of the humor beyond my grasp. The Latinos in the audience laughed and the Gringos didn’t.
Dreamlandia collides reality and dreaming in a story about a family living on the US/Mexico border. Celestino (Craig Spidle) is a rich and powerful businessman/gangster who lost his Mexican wife in child birth. His infant son was born with defects (mental & physical). His brother-in-law, Frank (H.B. Ward) is the supervisor of the US Border Patrol. Frank cooperates with Celestino in his criminal enterprises with the help of his two patrol guards, Carl (Mitch Salm) and Seth (Troy Martin).
This confusing story utilizes fine rear screen video projections (by Luis DeLaTorre) to depict location and time of day. We meet Dolores (the amazing Charin Alvarez) who is a midwife and mother of Pepin (Marcus Castillo) and Blanca (Jessica Camacho). She was blamed by Celestino for his wife’s death in child birth. She haunts her children as they move form Mexico to the US in the hands of Celestino and Frank.
Celestino take the sexy Vivian (Sandra Delgado) as his wife just before he rescues his now grown son Lazaro (Tony Sancho) for his being chained like a dog by Frank. Lazaro is violent and physically strong. The complicated plot that gets interrupted often with unessential monologues renders the show hard to follow. Solis’ wants to have his characters comment on the politics of legal and illegal immigration, the NAFTA treaty and narcotics smuggling.
The overlapping of dream sequences further confuses the story. I’m sure there is a wonderful play hidden here. Solis needs to make cuts, shorten speeches and establish a clear through storyline. As presented, Dreamlandia has its moments of both raw comedy and emotionally wrenching drama that is nicely acted. Charin Alvarez, Marcus Castillo and Tony Sancho worked hard to bridge the line from humor to pathos. Craig Spidle and H.B. Ward were consistent.
Dreamlandia is overwritten yet compelling; emotionally and physically powerful yet crude. It is a promising work that could be a terrific play. The main reason to consider Dreamlandia comes from the characterizations which were marvelously performed.
Somewhat Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: March 31, 2008
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