[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts theatre review of El Paso written and directed by Desiree Marisol Carcamo at the Hollywood Fringe Festival 2023.
When I walked into the Zephyr theatre on Melrose, I had no idea I would be spending the next two hours with the family Escajeda. The play is a love letter to El Paso, but doesn’t shy away from real-world politics and fears and the tragic Walmart shooting. Before the play began, the audience was treated to putting a face to the director and writer of the play, Desiree Marisol Carcamo. She was friendly and gave us a brief message before the show began. I noticed a tone of seriousness and of depth behind those smiling eyes. It was an omen of what was to come.
The direction of the play was cleverly staged so that exits and entrances felt as natural as walking around your own house. The couch was where the “high school dropout,” portrayed by the infectiously sweet Alan Borunda, played his video games. The kitchen was the domain of the mom who “cares so much,” played by the charismatic Linzy Beltran. The dining room table was occupied by the daughter who “dreams to be an artist” with a fiery determination played by Maria de Los Angeles. Together, these three bring us a reality of family life that brought me back home.
The writing is the true standout in this play. Each character had a few solo moments to tell us, the audience, a bit of background, but also supplied some exposition of what was to come. It never feels like we are being fed information in order to further the plot. Rather, Miss Caramo respects her audience completely and gives us insights into the dynamics of familial discomforts, secrets, and resolutions. As a director, Miss Caramo allows her actors to move freely about the stage without pretense or busy work. Each character shines, gets angry, and makes mistakes, just like a real family. As if that wasn’t enough, when the mom makes a grocery run to the local Walmart, we all held our breaths hoping the worst was not an inevitability.
As the house lights went up and I tried to brush off the tears that surprised me, I picked up the postcard of the show and realized that this play was making its debut at the Hollywood Fringe Festival. Such a play to debut at a venue such as this, all I could think of was what a bright future the director/writer and the three actors have before them. Viva El Paso.