SEEN THROUGH A LATINO CONTEXT,
THE OTHER AMERICANS IS A
UNIVERSAL GLIMPSE INTO FAMLY TRAUMA
The world premiere of John Leguizamo’s newest endeavor, The Other Americans, directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, packs a hard punch in the gut while exploring familial dysfunction and immigrant survival.
John Leguizamo (Nelson) and Luna Lauren Velez (Patti)
Leguizamo stars as the misguided patriarch Nelson Castro, a Columbian laundromat owner in Queens, N.Y., who is swimming upstream financially and not supporting his fledging family’s emotional needs. Leguizamo’s acting is spot on, sufficiently causing us to despise Nelson’s selfish and flippant attitude – one that contributes to his tragic flaw and eventual downfall.
Bradley James Tejeda (Eddie), Luna Lauren Velez (Patti), Rosa Arredondo (Norma),
Rebecca Jimenez (Toni), and John Leguizamo (Nelson)
Like other literary tragic heroes, Castro embodies hubris, or excessive pride, which blinds him to reality and leads him to make faulty decisions. However, unlike most tragic heroes, he doesn’t elicit sympathy, which could be a tragic flaw of the script. Castro’s machismo and arrogance overshadow any possible vulnerability of the character, which inhibits empathy from the audience.
Luna Lauren Velez (Patti) and John Leguizamo (Nelson)
Nelson moved his family from Jackson Heights to the more costly neighborhood of Forest Hills in 1998, chasing upward mobility. With this climb comes unforeseen difficulties like insurmountable debt and racism. Nelson’s obsessive desire for entrepreneurial success poisons his relationship with his long-suffering wife Patti (played expertly by Luna Lauren Velez), his son, Nicky (the director’s son, Trey Santiago-Hudson), his sister, Norma (Rosa Arredondo), and his daughter, Toni (Rebecca Jimenez). He desperately wants to expand his laundromat business, but his attempts to secure more loans prove to be fruitless.
Rosa Arredondo (Norma) and John Leguizamo (Nelson)
At the start of the play, Nelson and Patti anxiously await the return of Nicky who is ending a long stint in a mental institution after suffering a nervous breakdown brought on by a vicious physical hate crime attack. If ever there was a time ripe for needing empathy, it is now, but Nelson doesn’t have it in him. Instead, he has built an outdoor swimming pool for Nicky, thinking that this material gesture will solve his problems. As one can guess, it does not.
Trey Santiago-Hudson (Nicky) and Luna Lauren Velez (Patti)
Nelson and Patti argue over Nicky’s future – Nelson wants him to work the “mats,” while Patti wants him to go back to school. Nicky wants none of it and instead fancies himself moving out on his own and becoming a choreographer.
The fights between Nelson and Nicky are palpable and excruciating to watch, as are Patti’s attempts to seduce Nelson into caring.
The play starts off light, with Nelson’s off-the-cuff comments resembling Archie Bunker’s from All in the Family. The banter is light; Nelson and Patti engage in an impromptu jitterbug, and a feast is prepared for Nicky’s homecoming.
Rebecca Jimenez (Toni) and Trey Santiago-Hudson (Nicky)
Arnulfo Maldonado’s inviting set, the inside of the Castro family home where cooking and eating are clearly the central focus, with a well-stocked kitchen and a large dining table — and where upbeat Latino music blares — belies the dangerous realities of what is underneath the surface, pushing its way up until it bubbles over the top.
Rebecca Jimenez (Toni), Rosa Arredondo (Norma), and Sarah Nina Hayon (Veronica)
Although the play is clearly about an American family, Leguizamo, whose previous theatrical ventures are solo shows, said he wrote this ensemble family drama hoping to inspire the theater world to have more Latino representation. He told The New York Times he wanted “to show that Latino writers can produce plays as good as those of Tennessee Williams, Eugene O’Neil, or David Mamet.”
Trey Santiago-Hudson (Nicky) and John Leguizamo (Nelson)
In attempting a tragedy — this one focused on Latino Americans — Leguizamo has achieved his goal. And in light of the aftermath of the recent presidential election, Latinos depicted as “other” could never be more timely.
John Leguizamo (Nelson) and Luna Lauren Velez (Patti)
photos by T. Charles Erickson Photography
The Other Americans
Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater
Fichandler Stage, 1101 Sixth Street SW in D.C.
2 hours 25 minutes, including one 15-minute intermission
Tues and Wed at 7:30; Thurs & Fri at 8; Sat at 2 & 8: Sun at 2 & 7:30
weekday matinees at 12pm on Nov. 6, 8 & 20
ends on November 24, 2024
for tickets ($59-$99), call 202.488.3300 or visit Arena Stage