A PLAY THAT RAISES THE ESCOBAR
Pablo Escobar was a Colombian drug lord, narcoterrorist, and corrupt politician who founded and ran the deadly Medellín Cartel. Known as “the king of cocaine”, Escobar was one of the wealthiest criminals in history, reaching a net worth of close to thirty billion U.S. dollars by the time of his murder at age 44. His political ambitions led to massacres and the murders of police officers, judges, and politicians. Perhaps the only thing worse than your teenager daughter idolizing him would be if she were part of a club formed at school with the goal of sharing a common hero worship. Not exactly the glee club, but it’s these four teens who you’ll get to know in Moxie Theatre‘s Our Dear Dead Drug Lord.
To be fair, the Dead Leaders’ Club hasn’t always focused on Escobar. He’s just who they’ve picked this year — in the autumn of 2008 — after focusing on other tyrants and criminal leaders. But this guy really calls to them, emotionally, romantically and sexually. They fawn over a smiling poster of him – his mugshot. As with any cult, playwright Alexis Scheer’s four characters are so flawed that they need each other.
If it sounds too close to Helter Skelter, fear not. Our Dear Dead Drug Lord is indeed dark, but it walks the right line of being a dark comedy, or at least a very humorous dramedy. What comes out of their mouths will make you laugh more often than cringe, because the four aren’t really the Manson girls; they’re just acting out the angst of their lives in an uncomfortably funky way, but each is actually pretty likeable, if you could get one of them alone. The dynamics of the quartet are reminiscent of the four teens in the series Derry Girls, albeit with less of those girls’ innocence.
The teens all go by the odd nicknames. At the center of it all is president Pipe (Lena Ceja), a first-generation Cuban-American who supports presidential candidate John McCain, to the disgust of the more intellectual African-American Squeeze (Nio Russell). Squeeze, vocally supporting Barack Obama, has a big heart but the club gives her frustration and anger an outlet. Comic relief is inserted by Jewish student Zoom (Becca Myers), who doesn’t seem to be nearly so angry — she just wants a place to fit in, even if it means summoning anger and acting out to get there. The club can’t get accredited without at least four members, so a new member is recruited and nicknamed Kit (Mikaela Macias). If the original three thought they were going to be able to manipulate the new girl, they have another thing coming with strong-willed Kit. As she is Columbian, the connection to Escobar intrigues the threesome.
The one act isn’t particularly linear, because it’s not about a plot, but rather getting to know the four girls through their conversations, arguments and, occasionally, solo thoughts. Throughout, the misfits are in places of discovering what they can allow themselves to be, where they need to forgive themselves, and how they stand in their own way. When Pipe finds out that her nine-year-old sister choreographed a local musical, she asks, “How can a nine year old choreograph a dance?” To which Squeeze responds, “No one’s told her she can’t yet.”
In Moxie’s tradition of staging material primarily by and about women, ODDDL definitely gives voice to how four female adolescents see themselves and the world, despite some really bad choices they make along the way.
Frustratingly, Scheer writes a very significant later scene of magical realism almost entirely in Spanish, leading to an incomprehensible denouement, both literally and creatively (who writes a play that ends with a handout from ushers translating the final scene from Spanish?). We get that some significant points were being raised but couldn’t follow what they were. This took me out of the moment almost completely. By the end of the show, I still didn’t know what happened or how it brought forth the ending. While the use of Spanish made sense, Scheer could have gone another way to include viewers.
Each of the extremely well-cast actresses offers a rich portrayal, elucidating why each is an essential part of the gang. Emphasizing how good the performances are, the ending is still very moving, despite not quite following it.
Still, it’s a dynamic and robust script; the result is remarkable and will stay with you for days. Credit goes to director Desireé Clark Miller, There’s so much discussion and conflict going on that this must have been quite a challenge to block, especially on Atria Pirouzmand and Ali Roustaei’s two-tiered stage. It’s no small feat, and Miller’s effort pays off.
photos by Daren Scott
Our Dear Dead Drug Lord
plays in rep with Little Women
Moxie Theatre, 6663 El Cajon Blvd. Suite N, in San Diego
ends on December 8, 2024
for tickets, call 858-598-7620 or visit Moxie Theatre