[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts theatre review of Yelba Zoe McCourt’s solo show, “Where Y’all From?”
Latina or Americana? What begins as a funny anecdotal show about a woman’s journey from eager teenager committed to politics, human rights and helping people, morphs into a story of her finding her way to an acting career, then morphs again into a story about her becoming a nurse in her beloved New York City.
But really “Where Y’all From” is a deep dive into the immense and complicated American immigrant story.
Yelba Zoe McCourt was born in Honduras, but her parents wanted a more secure life, a safer life for her and her sister. So they did what so many brave souls do. They emigrated. They left their children with their grandmother and moved to New York to establish themselves. But what was supposed to take six months took two years, which is still not uncommon. The immigration system being what it is…a mess.
Yelba Zoe is sharing her story with us, humanizing it, giving the struggle of being ‘other’ in a country made of ‘others’ a face. Her face. Growing up in a melting pot in New York, she had no idea she was not ‘American.’ Which of course she is, probably more so than some who are actually born here given what this country was founded upon and by whom. This is aside from her ‘brownness,’ of course. The beautiful richness of her color is indigenous to this continent. The Americas is brown. Something which as a person of European descent I completely understand. But then I am an immigrant too, so maybe that has something to do with it.
Yelba Zoe, after some weird and very upsetting interactions with casting directors and agents in L.A., more “so where are you from really” nonsense, decides to talk to her parents. She realizes that she hasn’t heard her own origin story. The how and the why of Yelba Zoe. Her parents share their own history, why they chose to risk everything to come to America. How long and difficult their journey was. The pain of their separation from her and her sister for two years and the joyful security of green cards and citizenship. This country is a marvel, but it can be a treacherous path to find peace here.
“Where Y’all From?” is a tremendously moving play. Yelba Zoe is a gifted, natural storyteller. She embodies the disparate characters she uses to navigate her work with ease and energy.
Turning them into her guides and her gatekeepers and even her obstacles. Hers is a journey still unfolding. She’s a truly wonderful entertainer and that is deeply rooted in her experience of being herself in this weirdly wonderful world.
There’s a delightful darkness to her humor, understandably. She bounces the story of her life against quiet racism, hidden bigotry, confused by reason and justifications and cold hard facts.
At this point, I truly believe that if you have bigoted instincts you must be mentally ill. How could any sane person believe that one person is better than another based on the color of their wrapping? Or even where they were born, or how much money they have, or what kind of work they do or the name they choose or the pronoun? Yelba Zoe’s brilliantly and beautiful emotionally written play comes from her desire to point this out. No excuses, no tolerance, just a loud, proud “What the f***.”
“Where Ya’ll From?” is a clever, perceptive spotlight on the insanity of a country that denigrates its most loving citizens. Those who fight the hardest for it and those who take the least.
I loved this show. It’s sneaks up on you. Metamorphosing from a simple heartfelt autobiographical tale to a righteous, deeply perceptive manifesto of hope.
At least I found hope in it. But the hope comes from Yelba Zoe and her family and who she is in spite of everything and perhaps because of it.
You can find out more about Yelba Zoe McCourt’s Solo show, “Where Ya’ll From?” on her website: https://yelbazoe.blogspot.com/p/all-about-where-yall-from.html?m=1
I do hope she revives it soon so she can share a gorgeous talents with a wider audience!