A Familiar Tale Told Again

a home what howls

(or the house what was ravine)

The works of Mexican-American playwright Matthew Paul Olmos focus primarily on stories about creating space for marginalized communities. In this world premiere production, performed in-the-round, the audience focuses on a smart, young Latina woman named Soledad Vargas. She’s a community leader and activist who’s relocated from the rural California countryside to the urban jungle. At the top of the play, Soledad is prepping for an organized protest against the continued urban expansion in the Golden State. She can see that the progress of this expansion hasn’t been thought through very clearly. It doesn’t take into account the displacement of her family, neighbors and loved ones. Even the animals and plants of the rural area are in jeopardy of losing their habitats.

Back home, we meet Soledad’s parents, Abrana and Manuel Vargas. They’re seen as a loving couple who are worried about their daughter, who has left home, and hope to see her again soon. They appreciate the work Soledad is doing, on their behalf, but can also see the danger in it, as well. The young woman eventually visits and talks with her parents, but she’s also able to communicate with a mother coyote in the wild nearby. She magically gains the ability to hear the coyote’s troubles, worries and frustrations firsthand, which add fuel to her concerns.

There’s a gentle, almost mythical quality to the script, and the dialogue is poetic and colorful. Director Laura Alcala Baker weaves a lovely picture and coaxes fine performances from her cast. But, in truth, the script is a little confusing, slightly off-balanced at times and becomes redundant. The play is a story we’ve all heard before. The message certainly bears repeating, but in this dream-like drama it feels incoherent. It’s a tale that’s been told again and again, and often clearer than in this new play by Olmos. 

There’s no faulting the cast of this one-act production. Leslie Sophia Perez is strong and empathetic as Soledad. She speaks with strength and conviction and listens equally well to the voices around her. The always wonderful Charin Alvarez beautifully captures the warmth and humor of Abrana Vargas, as does Eddie Torres in the role of her loving husband, Manuel. Ensemble member Tim Hopper makes a welcome return to Steppenwolf in two roles, often providing a few laughs in his understated performance. But the real revelation is Isabel Quintero, who tenderly plays both the coyotl, as well as elderly Syera Lama, a fellow passenger with Soledad on the mass transit conveyance.

Plays and movies that remind us how important it is to consider others less fortunate than ourselves help focus on the plight of racially marginalized around the United States. In the name of progress, people are losing their homes, their native environments and their natural resources, as well. There must always be constant reminders, especially for young audiences, to remember that there are consequences for erecting new communities, forging new rail and highway systems and polluting the environment with the resulting filth and pollution. Entire ways of life tumble in the shadow of that which appears to be bigger, better and more improved. But these reminders should not appear as simply a familiar tale told again.     

Somewhat Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented February 7-March 2 by Steppenwolf Theatre Company for Young Adults, in the Ensemble Theatre venue, 1646 N. Halsted, Chicago.

Tickets are available in person at the box office, by calling 312-335-1650 or by going to www.steppenwolf.org.

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