2008 Woodie Awards
Confusing script submerges Sonia
Julia Kaganskiy
Issue date: 11/18/04 Section: Arts and Entertainment
- Page 1 of 1
|
The play, like its author Melinda Lopez, is grounded in Cuban-American history. Its premise is a little-known evacuation operation called "Pedro Pan" that successfully transported over 14,000 child refugees from Cuba to Miami between the years of 1960 and 1962 in an effort to spare them from the Communist clutches of Fidel Castro.
The children were sent to America via airplane with the help of fake visas or visa waivers, often unaccompanied, to be cared for in Miami until they could be reunited with their families. Many, however, never saw their families again and were placed in foster homes around the country.
Sonia Flew tells the story of one such child, a girl named Sonia (Carmen Roman), who was forced to leave her family, her homeland and everything she knew and loved on the day of her quinceniera (sweet 15). Overwhelmed by feelings of anger and betrayal at being sent to a foreign land, she renounces her family and vows that she may "forget, but will never forgive" them.
The historical inspiration for the play is by far its most charming, appealing and intriguing aspect. Unfortunately, Lopez does not fully incorporate this aspect into the story until the second act. Instead, she barrages the unsuspecting audience with a frenzied, melodramatic portrayal of a typical, modern, dysfunctional family, offering mere hints of the Cuban flavor yet to come in flashbacks, which appear to be placed randomly throughout the act and often do not seem to reflect any sort of deeper meaning.
This chaotic first act revolves largely around a conflict between the adult Sonia and her son, Zak (Ivan Quintanilla). Zak, who has just completed his freshman year at Brown, recently disclosed to his parents, grandfather and sister that he has decided to enlist in the army.
This shocking news tears the family apart, particularly Sonia, who simply refuses to accept his decision and proclaims that she will "never forgive him" if he goes through with it. In the process, she ends up alienating the rest of her family in her unwillingness to support her son's decision.
The downfall of this act lies in Lopez's overzealous and poorlyexecuted attempt at introducing a wide variety of sub-conflicts, themes and modes of character development. Many of these conflicts, such as the issue of dual religions within the family's household or the duty to one's country, are touched upon ephemerally and remain severely underdeveloped; which in effect ends up hindering the plot rather than enhancing it.
The overall disjointed nature of the first act can also be attributed to the somewhat scatterbrained acting of Roman, whose portrayal of a frantic mother/wife often borders on psychotic. Roman is much more suited to her role in the second act, where she shines in the supporting role of Marta, the outspoken housekeeper.
The real star of the show, however, is Zabryna Guevara who plays Sonia's mother, Pilar, in the Cuban half of the play. Guevara's acting is vibrant, lively and engaging, so much so that it leaves one wondering as to why she was not cast as Sonia in the first act.
Things seem to come together in the second act; the actors seem to fall into their proper places and Lopez, in turn, seems to thrive within the Cuban setting. She appears to be more in tune with the nuances of Cuban customs and culture and, at times, this portion of the play is reminiscent of last year's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, Anna In The Tropics, which also focused on Cuban-American heritage.
With some extensive rewriting of the first half of the script and some reconsiderations of casting choices, Sonia Flew could become the new Anna In The Tropics. What it currently lacks in coherence it more than makes up for in heart and, most importantly, it tells a story that desperately needs to be told.
Sonia Flewwill be performed at the Wimberly Theatre through Sunday. Performances are 7:30 p.m. today through Saturday, and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information, call 617-266-0800.