Band On the Run

Last Hermanos – A Red Orchid Theatre

Miguel and Julio are two estranged brothers who’ve been reunited while on the run, trying to reach the Mexican border. This is America, set in the distant future, and there’s an ongoing war raging on between Caucasians and the Latinx population. Danger and terror are everywhere and it especially lurks in the darkness and between the shadows. Trust is a fragile commodity, even between family members, and most definitely between members of the two cultures.

Holed up together in a Texas State Park near San Antonio, Miguel (Mike or Mickey) and his younger brother Julio, constantly spar and argue nonstop. Their strained relationship was permanently damaged when their parents separated and divorced. Miguel stayed with his mother, while Julio went to live with his father. There’s a great deal of tension between the two brothers, not the least of which is because Miguel is gay and, even worse, has married a white man. A much gentler man, Miguel’s empathy and optimism aren’t shared by his younger sibling. Julio is cynical, morose and always angry. He’s forever on the lookout for danger and trouble. Julio is obsessed with his strength, body image and keeping fit, and tries to impose his obsession upon Miguel. His distrust in Miguel’s decisions and capabilities truly test the brothers’ relationship.

Then, while trying to catch a fish for dinner, Miguel runs into Shepherd. The wandering young man is Caucasian, causing some suspicion in Miguel’s mind. But, like the two brothers, he’s also on the run, trying to escape death or capture in order to join his Latina wife and two children in Mexico. Shepherd appears to be straightforward and honest, offering to share his meager food and means of protection with Miguel. When the two strangers share their treasured family photos they bond over similar values and principles. But when Julio discovers Shepherd, the suspense escalates as his suspicion and doubts about the Caucasian’s true intentions rage out of control.

Originally Exal Iraheta’s drama, now enjoying a fully-staged world premiere, was presented as an audio production at the height of the pandemic. As expressed by Kirsten Fitzgerald, AROT’s talented Artistic Director, the exciting collaboration between this gifted, Chicago playwright and Mexican director Director Ismael Lara, Jr. offers a carefully guided, tension-filled and intimate play. The production is excellent at “unearthing both the power and the fragility of family and its function in our ever-shifting environments.” This nerve-racking play will keep audiences on the edge of their seats for the entire 100 minutes of nonstop action.

As with every production at this theatre, the cast is superb. All three of its actors are making their auspicious A Red Orchid debut, but I’m sure this won’t be the last time we’ll enjoy their talents on this stage. Esteban Andres Cruz has appeared in theatres all over the country. His solid portrayal of Miguel is the heart and soul of this production. Cruz is perfectly convincing as a sensitive young man whose patience is strained, but steady, and his dedication to family is paramount, even during the violence and uncertainty of war. Roberto Jay, a talented young man who’s shined in such diverse Chicagoland productions as Northlight’s “Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberly” and the Gift Theatre Ensemble’s “The Royal Society of Antarctica,” is simply mesmerizing as Julio. He creates a young man with severe anger issues, a vile, muck-mouthed, untrustworthy guy for whom violence is the answer to everything life throws at him. And Chris Sheard, a brilliant young actor whose wonderful work at the Goodman, Definition and Writers Theaters has been stellar, is excellent as Shepherd. While we sympathize with his plight we still reserve a modicum of doubt as to the full honesty of character. His appearance in this war-torn setting triggers the conflict between the two brothers and becomes the wild card in this story.

Played upon Mara Ishihar Zinky’s filthy, junk-strewn set design, the expansive grunginess might drive people with OCD bonkers. There’s garbage littered everywhere! Nicely lit by Josiah  Croegaert, the ever-present hum of drones that’s provided by Sound Designer Joe Court helps elevate the play’s growing tension. The men’s dirty, sweat-stained wardrobe has been created with detail by Costumer Johan Gallardo.

Like these three men, we live within our own world of uncertainty. The country is plagued by a continually mutating Covid virus. Infection rates rise and fall on a daily basis and we’re never sure whether the mask mandates are keeping us safe. But as we turn to our family and loved ones for comfort and support during these trying times, we can identify with the tense situation created in Exal Iraheta’s brutal, violent drama. It’s a story that will leave audiences white-knuckled, shell-shocked and questioning who can be trusted these days.

Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented April 21-June 12 by A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells Street, Chicago.

Tickets are available in person at the box office, by calling 312-943-8722 or by going to www.aredorchidtheatre.org.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.