**** The Goodman Theatre has been a leader in bringing Latino theater productions to its stages, working with Teatro Vista and Annual Destinos: Chicago International Latino Theater Festival. Back in the day, when I was working in alliance with La Raza Newspaper, Nueva Semana and Teleguia, I covered every production in these special presentations. From my background, I was very well informed about the Quinceañera and its importance to both the 15-year-old ( who is not considered a woman) and her family.
This year’s feature production for the 9th annual Destinos is a comic thriller written by Phanesia Pharel and adorably directed by Melia Bensudden. This is a World Premiere co-production with Barrington Stage and Hartford Stage. For those who are unfamiliar with the term and celebration known as
Quinceañera- here is the definition:
A Quinceañera[a] in Spanish, or quinceañera[b] in the United States, is a coming of age celebration in Latin American cultures for a girl’s 15th birthday. The Spanish names for the celebration can be literally translated to English as the “celebration of the 15-year-old” (fiesta de quinceañera, fiesta de quince años), “15 years” (quince años, quinceañero) or just “15” (quince).[1]
Practices or traditions for the event can vary across different cultures and can take on religious overtones, but typically involve food, dancing, music, and the girl of honor wearing a tiara.
In this story, Maria ( played to perfection by Andrea Ferro) has not been seen since her Quinceanere. It seems the party ended early, and despite all efforts, Maria has not responded to any messages. It has been close to 24 hours. Her three best buddiesCarmen Berkely, Ariana Burks, Jacqueline Guillen, without any adult supervision, are going to solve the case and find out what might have happened to her, caused by what other party and make sure they do so, with great haste.
While the story might seem one that would not be funny, this one is. Having several granddaughters who have confirmations, Bat Mitzvahs, and Sweet Sixteen ( our version of the Quinceañera), I know that as they reach their teens, they experience many events that perhaps they are not prepared for, or even can anticipate. Pharel looks some of these and more. The three girls that grace the stage at the onset of the story also pretend to be others in a way to do a sort of flashback of events in hopes of finding out what happened to their friend. Some of these moments, while quite funny, do have more meaning below the surface and when Maria does appear, we learn some things that we often overlook regarding family members and young girls growing up and maturing.
The technical parts of the production are super, except I would like to see what might happen if the ladies were miked. While the Owen is an intimate space, the people in the back of the theater appeared to be struggling to get every word, and to be honest, every word in this play is of great importance for both the comic touch and the educational parts. Sara Brown’s set is cleverly designed to transform quickly, and the costumes (Raquel Adorno) are fantastic ( visit a Quinceanera shop in Pilsen or Little Village, and you will see just how accurate these are). The sound by Salvador Zamora and lighting by Dan Kotlowitz perfect. I enjoyed the simple choreography by Mayte Natalio. A very impressive 90 minutes of theater!
“Dead Girl’s Quinceanera” will continue thru November 1st with performances as follows:
Wednesdays 7:30pm
Show Type: Comedy/Drama
Box Office: 312-443-3800
To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click on “Dead Girl’s Quinceanera”
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