- PHOTO BY RON HEERKENS JR.
- Maria Cristina Posada Slye as Rebecca and Eddie Gutierrez as Alejandro on Geva Theatre Center's "Somewhere."
The Candelarias are a family of dreamers living in the San Juan Hill neighborhood of New York City in 1959. Inez, the mother, played with superb comic timing by Zuleyma Guevara, embraces the motto “Dream today so you can enjoy tomorrow.” There’s an echo of Mama Rose from “Gypsy”; her hopes of seeing her children dance on Broadway keeps her short-sighted. When the family receives an eviction notice of 30 days, she rips up the letter and refuses to leave her home, even as the power goes out and debris falls from the ceiling. Her son Francisco, played with boyish enthusiasm by Ean Castellanos as he enacts various movie references, wants to be the Puerto Rican Marlon Brando. Her teenage daughter Rebeccca dreams of dancing on Broadway, carrying herself like she’s already there in a poised performance by Maria Cristina Posada Slye.
- PHOTO BY RON HEERKENS JR.
- Maria Cristina Posada Slye, Eddie Gutierrez, with Zuleyma Guevara as Inez and Ean Castellanos as Francisco.
The play’s conflict lies in the tension between the world as it is and the world as it could be, as portrayed on stage and screen. When Inez learns that their tenement building is being destroyed to make room for the Lincoln Center of the Arts, she points out that her home already is a center for the performing arts.
- PHOTO BY RON HEERKENS JR.
- "Somewhere" features inspired set design by Chika Shimizu.
The play invites the audience to suspend their disbelief in a way that’s similar to musicals — when the characters feel too much emotion to speak, they dance. These moments are gorgeous and rich. Karla Puno Garcia choreographs a Jerome Robbins-infused blend of Broadway ballet, tap, swing, and mambo. It’s a pleasure to spend time in a world where characters dance on their kitchen table whenever they daydream, and recover from fights with a partnered routine.
- PHOTO BY RON HEERKENS JR.
- Eddie Gutierrez with Zach McNally as Jamie.
According to the program, López has said “My family loved 'West Side Story,' but as I thought about it, I realized their love for the show wasn’t reciprocated by it.” Dramaturg Christin Eve Cato’s detailed program note thoughtfully expands upon both the musical’s resonance and its shortcomings in depicting Puerto Ricans. These nuances are lacking in “Somewhere,” where “West Side Story” remains only an idealized dream. As a result, the characters who live for it are a bit hollow.
- PHOTO BY RON HEERKENS JR.
Geva Theatre Center’s production of “Somewhere” continues through Nov. 13 on the Wilson Stage, 75 Woodbury Blvd in Rochester. For more information and tickets, go to gevatheatre.org/somewhere.
Katherine Varga is a freelance writer for CITY. Feedback on this article can be directed to Daniel J. Kushner, CITY's arts editor, at [email protected].