We need a real strong man to take over this town…which means, we need a woman.
By Eric George Tauber
SAN DIEGO — With all the talk of immigration and of “those people taking our jobs” it’s easy to forget the other side of the coin: emigration. There are pueblos in Mexico virtually devoid of working age men. With no real prospects at home, they’ve all gone “into the beautiful north.”
Such a town is Tres Camarones (three shrimp) where even the sheriff has gone north to find work. Without men for protection, the town is easy prey for a young narco-trafficker looking to claim territory.
The style is very presentational with the characters introducing themselves directly to the audience. Kenia Ramirez is Nayeli, a sparky young woman who dreams of marrying Johnny Depp and living in a big white house. Jennifer Paredes is Vampi, a troubled girl who has suffered so much loss that she assumes the persona of a vampire. And Bryant Hernandez is Tacho, a man “ahead of his time” (ie openly gay and playing the type to the nth degree.)
The tale is an odyssey much like The Wizard of Oz. Inspired by The Magnificent Seven (the town cinema shows old westerns dubbed in Spanish) Nayeli and her friends set out on a quest to “The Uniteds” to find her father and bring him back with seven vatos (brave men) to protect their pueblo from bandidos.
Vampi accompanies the running corrido (ballad) on her ukulele as they make their journey on a rotating floor. They get shaken down and abused by the policia, but help comes from some unlikely places.
Jorge Rodriguez is over the top as Atomiko, the “samurai warrior” of a garbage dump. He loves to announce himself with a signature pose and use a broom handle as a jo-stick. He’s pretty ridiculous, but he comes in handy. The stage combat was so campy, it reminded me of Adam West’s Batman. All they needed were some “BAM!” and “POW!” signs.
The rest of the cast was kept on their toes as a quick changing ensemble with Catalina Maynard, Herb Siguenza, Xavi Moreno and Javier Guerrero playing multiple roles in a variety of wigs, hats and costume pieces.
Into the Beautiful North is funny and tragic, campy and poignant, the wacky energy of a cartoon and the dark realities of our times. With public debates distilled to tweets and protest signs, it’s about time we heard the story from the other side.
Hate speech leads to hateful actions as both are currently on the rise. We would all do well to remember that we’ve been here before. In the 1800s, Nativists railed against the “drunken Irish” teeming on their shores. During the waves of German immigration in the 1870s, Protestants asserted that “Papists” could have no true understanding of democracy. Then, in the 1920s, Jews were denounced as both “greedy bankers” and “radical Bolsheviks.”
Now it’s the Latinos’ and Muslims’ turn to be reviled as invading foreigners until they are gradually accepted as fellow Americans in our ever-changing landscape. And while we wait for that day, let’s go Into the Beautiful North at the San Diego REP.
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Tauber is a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts. He may be contacted via eric.tauber@sdjewishworld.com