“Somewhere Over The Border” reviewed by Julia W. Rath

[rating=5]A superior musical has taken the Chicago stage by storm! Teatro Vista’s “Somewhere Over the Border” is a world premier triumph that combines a story about Latinx migrants who illegally travel northward to the United States—and Dorothy’s dream-state in “The Wizard of Oz.” What an impressive and impeccable mashup! This highly original story, written and narrated by Brian Quijada, is based on his own family history about how his mother Reina Quijada escaped the civil war in El Salvador in 1978 in order to chase the American Dream. At stops along the way in Guatemala and Mexico, she meets up with three others who join her in her venture; they too want to leave their current lives behind and move to America. Quijada’s original music and songs are a credit to his brilliance in both storytelling and musicianship! All sorts of musical styles are incorporated into this show, ranging from traditional and modern Hispanic music, popular American music, and Broadway-style songs. Gorgeous work by director Denise Yvette Serna and associate director Ayssette Muñoz turns this biography into a 115-minute theatrical treat that is marvelous to watch and easy to follow. The singing is fantastic; the choreography is without equal; and the acting is a delight. There aren’t enough superlatives in the English language—or Spanish, for that matter—to describe this show, where every single moment captures our imagination, tickles our funny bone, or makes us want to cry.

The silver-throated Gabriela Moscoso superbly plays Reina, a young single mother from the small El Salvadorian town of Chanmica. She helps her brothers in the fields and helps her mother Julia (Claudia Quesada) with the women’s work of laundry and food preparation. Anxious to escape the killings and brutality in her town as well as the monotony of keeping house and being under her mother’s thumb, she listens to the story of a woman in the marketplace named Leona (Amanda Raquel Martinez), who tells her that her daughter Soyla has made her way to America and is now earning a good living. Inspired to seek a better life for herself and her infant son Fernando, Reina’s imagination is now fired up, and she dreams of a house with a white picket fence, three square meals a day, and an excellent education for her son. But she also realizes that it would take forever to get into the U.S.A. legally and that requesting political asylum would probably mean being turned away at the border and sent back home. So the only option she has left is to enter illegally. This means that, in addition for paying for her intercity bus fare, she would have to pay off the coyote, who would smuggle her across the U.S./Mexican border. In her calculation, she decides that traveling with such a small baby might be a mistake and too dangerous for both, so her plan is that once she gets her green card and earns enough income in America, she will come back to get him.

Through a series of some minor miracles, including her brother Adán (Tommy Rivera-Vega) helping to pay for her journey, she gathers enough money to make the trip northward. In the process of stopping in various towns and cities en route, she meets up a banana grower named Cruz (also played by Tommy Rivera-Vega), who seeks a university education; a hotelier (Andrés Enriquez), who wants to be reunited with his family already living in Pittsburgh, and a Catholic nun (also played by Amanda Raquel Martinez), who dreams of being a rock star. We follow their collective journey as we agonize about the fates of all— and wonder what will happen next.

This show is extraordinarily well developed. The set, created by Yvonne Miranda, is wonderfully imaginative, with the pit literally visible within the stage encircled with an ample proscenium, plus two visible wings on each side of the stage. The semi-circle is painted yellow to represent both the yellow brick road (from “The Wizard of Oz”) and the road paved with gold that the foursome expects to find in America. This great design is the canvas for Serna’s great directing, as she moves the action suavely from one portion of this unusual-looking stage to the other without missing a beat and sometimes even includes members of the pit band, whose performance is phenomenal! Thee Ricky Harris is music director with Julián Mesri and Yendrys Cespedes as co-orchestrators. Cespedes also plays keyboard and percussion and leads the three-piece band with Roberto “Carpacho” Marin (upright bass) and Guido Acevedo (cajón, conga, and bongo drums). The lighting throughout the performance—and especially towards the end—is nicely accomplished by Diane D. Fairchild. Projection design by Liviu Pasare is splendid! Fantastical images range from an airplane to silhouettes of buildings and scenes of the desert. There are maps of the route that Reina took from her home in El Salvador to the United States. All of the artwork is superb and whimsical, and the images are projected expertly. Costumes, such as the native garments, have been exquisitely crafted by Sarah Albrecht. Most notable is the artfulness involved in the transformation of the nun’s habit. Choreography by Kasey Alfonso is skillful and fun. Above all, Moscoso holds our attention throughout with her gorgeous singing and speaking voice—as does narrator, playwright, and chameleon Brian Quijada, who strums his guitar and sings beautifully throughout as he transforms himself into characters as diverse as the bus driver and the coyote!

Ten years after she has left home, Reina finally makes her return to El Salvador. She wants to see her mother and brothers, plus claim Fernando and take him to the United States. But her mother is angry, despite the fact that Reina has written her many letters and has sent money back to her family. After all, grandma had to raise Fernando all by herself! And initially the boy doesn’t want to leave the only life he’s ever known. Except when he was tiny, he never knew Reina as his mother. And I will leave the rest of the story to you, dear audience member, to see for yourself! It is funny; it is clever; it is kind; it is fraught with all sorts of danger.

The title of the show “Somewhere Over the Border” is meant to be reminiscent of the song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from “The Wizard of Oz.” It signifies escaping from a bad situation not just by dreaming about making a major life change but by actually working hard to accomplish it. Perhaps going over the rainbow turns out not to be as great and wonderful as initially imagined. But outcomes can never be predicted ahead of time, and life is always full of struggles. Brian Quijada’s vision for this production is lovingly inspired, and the proof is how magnificent the show is. And at the very end (after the standing ovation), I was ready to purchase another ticket to see it again. What an honor it was to be in the audience! This is the best show I have seen up to now in 2022. And now you must see it for yourself!

Teatro Vista’s “Somewhere Over the Border” is playing through June 12, 2022, at the Windy City Playhouse, 3014 W. Irving Park Road, in Chicago.

General admission tickets range from $15 to $49.50.
Fees not included.

Performance schedule:

Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays – 7:30 p.m.
Sundays – 2:00 p.m.

Tickets are on sale at: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/teatro-vista-13642462403, and be sure to scroll down the page to see the calendar.

For more information about “Somewhere Over the Border”, go to: https://www.teatrovista.org/somewhere-over-the-border.

For general information and for a list of other offerings, see https://www.teatrovista.org/.

Note that COVID restrictions are currently in effect. All audience members must provide proof of vaccination and a picture ID and must remain masked while watching the entire performance.

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Somewhere Over The Border”.