[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts theatre review of The Last Song, written and performed by Eduardo Enrikez, directed by Bryan Rasmussen, and returning to Los Angeles for a limited Sunday run at the Whitefire Theatre this October.
Music and theatre are deeply symbiotic, particularly when it comes to the raw, visceral world of the solo performance. Solo shows give us an entirely unique, unfiltered insight into the mechanics of another human being’s soul. The Last Song is an utterly sublime paradigm of doing exactly that. As you may know, I am a huge fan of solo performance, especially when it takes place at the Whitefire Theatre, a venue that has truly mastered the art of intimate storytelling.
Eduardo Enrikez, an absolute force of nature who graduated from the prestigious Royal Academy of Music in London, brings us the hauntingly beautiful story of an aging mariachi musician facing his final moments. As death approaches, he is forced to reckon with the singular, devastating choice that defined his entire existence: the music that gave him a voice, or the woman he loved.
What could easily have been a standard, linear retrospective is instead transformed by Enrikez into a powerful, multi-layered examination of sacrifice, cultural heritage and love. Enriquez possesses a deeply resonant voice and a magnetic stage presence that holds the audience completely captive from the very first note. He weaves a delicate parallel narrative between the burdens of his creative passion and the agonizing weight of his personal loss that, in many ways, fed it.
Using the gorgeous, sweeping traditions of mariachi music to loop his memories right before our eyes, you can feel the joy pushing through the pain in every lyric he delivers.
Director Bryan Rasmussen balances the production with an exquisite ease that makes the heavy subject matter feel entirely organic and beautifully paced. Rasmussen understands more than most the unique demands of a one-person show, allowing Enrikez the physical and emotional space to truly breathe.
The Whitefire Theatre, with its magical womb-like stage, feels perfectly attuned to this specific journey, and for me it has become the solo show mecca, with Bryan Rasmussen at the helm. With its simple neutral space haunted by the echoes of a thousand plays performed there over its long history. Hosting hundreds of solo shows where a lifetime of memories can unfold in the span of a single evening.
The Last Song is an ambitious, deeply moving piece of theatre that asks profound, sometimes uncomfortable questions about what we leave behind when the music finally stops.
It is a celebration of love and loyalty, and how the choices we make ripple across a lifetime. Eduardo Enrikez is a magnificent storyteller, and Los Angeles is incredibly lucky to have this Edinburgh Festival favorite back on our boards.
But I must mention the magical ending, a chorus of Mariachi angels sending Enrikez’s character to his rest. What a gorgeous and heartbreaking way to end this very special show! Breathtaking!!!
Please go and see The Last Song, I guarantee that you have not seen anything like this before. A moving tribute to the passion of a musical life and the loss of everything else to it. Bravo!!!!
Tickets:
https://whitefire.stagey.net/projects/15114
When:
Sundays
October 4, 11, 18, and 25 at 6 PM
Where:
The Whitefire Theatre
13500 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA 91423