[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts theatre review of Greenway Arts Alliance’s THE CIRCLE, A TragiComic Play, written by Stacey Martino Rivera, directed by D.W. Jacobs, and with original music composed by Germaine Franco.
The Circle is set in Texas in 2016, in the aftermath of the general election, when people were taking to the streets in a mixture of fear, anger, sadness and disbelief at what the country had done to itself. The Medina family has their own sadness permeating every pore. The matriarch, their beloved mother, is in the last stages of her life, and her two sons must come to terms with the loss of their final parent and a part of their collective history. José, who has been caring for his mother Eva for years, is resentful of his younger brother Ronnie’s return home. Ronnie brings his very pregnant wife with him and his young daughter, as well as his wife’s elderly mother, whose husband died only weeks before.
José has been to Dallas, hawking his anti-Trump T-shirts at the protests. While he was there, he ran over a trump supporter who had been knocked to the ground. In a panic, he puts him in his car and brings him home. Already a felon, José is well aware of what might happen to him if he were caught. Once home, he hides the man, who turns out to be a homeless old farmer clinging to the MAGA lies. He stashes him in a closet while he can figure out what to do next, and then his brother and his family descend and everything begins to unravel.
The Circle is a deeply meaningful and beautifully written play. It explores the darkness surrounding us all as we struggle to cope with our present reality and navigate what is rapidly becoming an almost intolerable world. How do we find our way when the stress of it all prevents us from seeing clearly, recognizing allies, and truly living?
As the days roll on and these two families try to stay off the news, nurse a dying woman, and deal with the MAGA in the closet,
some sense of rhythm returns, however fraught with resentment from the brothers. The neighbor, Mary Padrón (Jeanette Godoy),
who has helped take care of Eva Medina, adds her own unique sense of place. She was adopted as a native child by Eva Medina’s
neighbor and Eva was always an ally to her. She has suffered her own tragedy, taken from her family, never knowing who she truly was. But now she is free, her adoptive parents gone, her unhappy marriage over, and she has a renewed sense of destiny. All these threads woven together form this fascinating story of healing, forgiveness and family. Culminating on the early arrival of a baby in the most stunning on-stage birth scene I have ever seen….
The name of the play, The Circle, is a reference to humans’ ancient habit of circular governance. Pre-religion, all we had was each other and every one of us was as sacred as the last, even when gone astray. The whole would do what it could to preserve every contributor. We were all valuable, all needed. We gathered around fires, telling our stories, building our world, together. We’ve traveled along way from that. Our circles have grown but have also been broken, twisted, forgotten. The hope must be that all this chaos, these constant purposeful and deliberate violent distractions, will not deter us from seeking the truth, healing ourselves and saving our world. The Circle is a poignant and wonderfully paced story of a family and our flawed and troubled, forgiving and utterly magical human race. It is an almost mythological tale, a parable, a legend with wonderful performances from every single actor. From narrator to grandmother, brothers to sad MAGA. They are truly marvelous, each and every one.
I am very happy to say that I can highly recommend The Circle. The lovely Greenway Theatre is the perfect place to help us find our humanity. Bravo!!
Dates:
January 30-February 22
Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm, followed by panel discussions, January 30-February 22.
No performance on February 14.
Address:
544 N Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90036
Free Parking is available nearby Greenway Court Theatre in front of Fairfax High School, located the intersection of Fairfax Avenue and Melrose Avenue, which can be accessed from Fairfax Avenue at Friday and Saturday performances only. There will be limited parking adjacent to the theatre at Sunday performances.
The Cast
Michael Brainard (of Los Feliz, CA) as Bud Ireton, Jeanette Godoy (of Pasadena, CA) Mary Padrón, Alma Martinez (of Cypress Park, CA) as Eva Medina, Victoria Ratermanis (of Angeleno Heights, CA) as Molly Medina, Lisa Richards (of Los Angeles, CA) as Maeve Mahoney, Ava Rivera (of Los Feliz, CA) as Anna Medina at 16, Luna Rivera (of Los Feliz, CA) as Anna Medina at 12, René Rivera (of Los Feliz, CA) as José Medina and Lakin Valdez (of Glendale, CA) as Ronnie Medina with Newscasters Voiceovers by Brendan James Willis (of Los Angeles, CA) and Simone Reynolds (of Los Angeles, CA).
The Team
Mohammed Ali Ojarigi (Producing Director, Greenway Arts Alliance and Greenway Court Theatre); Pierson Blaetz (Co-Founder, Greenway Arts Alliance and Greenway Court Theatre), Whitney Weston (Co-Founder, Greenway Arts Alliance and Greenway Court Theatre); Alma Martinez (Producer and Actors Equity Deputy); C. Raul Espinoza (Posthumous Producer); Stacey Martino Rivera (of Los Feliz, CA) Playwright and Lyrics to the Birthing Chant; D.W. Jacobs (of Highland Park, CA) Director; Germaine Franco (Composer, Music Producer, Sound Designer and Lyrics to the Birthing Chant); Jessica E. Williams, Assistant Director; Pam Noles, Stage Manager; Graciela “Gracie” Rodriguez (Assistant Stage Manager); Tom Brown (Set Designer; Greenway Court Theatre Technical Director and Facilities Manager); Carolyn Mazuca (Costume Designer); Claire Shea Duncan (Assistant Costume Designer); W. Alejandro Melendez (Lighting and Projections Designer); Emma MacManus (Associate Lighting Designer); Grace Hlavacek (Associate Video Designer); Ian LeCheminant (Score Technician and Sound Mixer); Will Chen (Audio Engineer); James Carroll (Music Assistant); Federico Ramos (Music Production Assistant); Ricardo Garcia Medina (Nahuatl Translation); Carlos Cano (Painter of on set images of The Virgin and Tonantzin and Lobby Artist); Tonantzin Carrasco (Lobby Artist); Jenny Silva Partera (Midwife Advisor); Ellora Gordon (Graphic Designer, Playbill and Greenway Arts Alliance and Greenway Court Theatre Audience Services Coordinator); Steffany Ayala (Director of Operations, Greenway Arts Alliance); Elisawon Etidorhpa (Greenway Court Theatre House Manager); Lori Kaye (Production Videographer); Tara Culp (Production Video Coordinator) Erik J. Goodrich (Production Video Editor); Nick C. Graves (Production Photographer); and Steve Moyer Public Relations (Press Representative, Publicity and Marketing).