Playwright: Anthony J. Garcia
Venue: Su Teatro, 721 Santa Fe Dr. Denver, CO
Date of Performance: Sunday, December 9, 2012
(matinee)
Running Time: 2 hours (includes 20 minute
intermission).
Let’s be clear. I’m not in Su Teatro’s target
demographic. By that I mean that
my heritage is European (Irish, German), I’m not Catholic, and I don’t speak
Spanish. Despite my cultural,
religious and linguistic differences, I totally enjoyed “The Miracle at Tepeyac.”
Culturally specific theater
can also be universal in its message.
“The Miracle at Tepeyac”
embraces the universality of faith, family, and redemption. And therein lies its appeal and its
power.
Playwright/Director/Executive
Artistic Director Anthony Garcia bases his script on a 16th century
miracle. He not only tells the
story of the miracle, but he throws in a few contemporary references (”There are no immigration laws in God’s
house.”) to put a contemporary spin on the story. Padre Tomas is a priest who is losing his faith; he can’t
reconcile his spiritual duties with the social activism his flock seeks.
For those who need more
background on the plot, you might look here. However, if you like good theater, you won’t need the
background to enjoy this show. “The Miracle at Tepeyac” is very good
theater, and like all good theater, it succeeds no matter what heritage,
religion, or historical knowledge you bring to the performance.
Impressive performances abound here. Lara Gallegos
(Virgen de Guadalupe) plays a statue
with occasional lines; she maintains the statue pose like, well, a statue. Gustavo Alonso (Juanito) brings a perfect mix of compassion, comedy, and charm to
his role as the custodian of the church.
Aaron Vieyra (Juan Diego)
skillfully portrays a persistent yet simple peasant who brings the Archbishiop
a message of faith from the Virgin.
Jesse Orgas (Archbishop
Zumarraga) and Marcos R. Martinez (Padre Tomas) give us conflicted religious
leaders struggling to lead their people through difficult situations. Their performances earn our sympathy
for their struggles. Amy Luna (Señora
Maria) is the maternal influence for the cast and for the audience; she
anchors the church activities while riding herd on Juanito.
The show opens and closes
with indigenous native dancing provided by Grupo Tlaloc. Don’t miss it; the dancing alone is
worth the price of admission.
I had to come out of my
cultural comfort zone for “The Miracle at
Tepeyac.” I had to look into
the lives of others with whom I thought I had little in common. I was wrong. We have a lot in common.
You may want to come out of
your own cultural comfort zone too.
It can be a richly rewarding experience discovering what we ALL have in
common.
Su Teatro has recently taken
a big step forward that will help it remain a part of the Denver theater
scene. They have provided a
valuable cultural outlet to a substantial part of the Denver community, and
they will continue to do so in the future. However, their message is not just for part of the
community; it is for all of us. Denver has two theater companies that serve distinct communities, and they both make Denver a better place to live. Su Teatro and Phamaly provide enormous cultural benefits to all of Denver.
Theater, when done well, is
universal. It touches everyone who
sees it. Su Teatro is doing very
good theater, and “The Miracle of Tepeyac”
touched me deeply. It will touch
you too.
NOTES:
This show runs until
December 23, 2012. Performances are
on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturday evenings, and Sunday matinees. You might want to reserve your tickets
early, the 300 or so seats in the theater were packed at the December 9
performance.
This show is suitable for
and recommended to children of all ages.
The music lyrics are in Spanish but most of the script is in
English. You don’t need to be
bilingual to understand and enjoy the show.
For the best view, sit in
the back half of the house. Arrive
early; parking can be difficult in this neighborhood.
Director:
Anthony J. Garcia
Cast:
Lara Gallegos: Virgen
de Guadalupe
Aaron Vieyra: Juan Diego
Jesse Orgas: Archbishop
Zumarraga
Gustavo Alonso: Juanito
Amy Luna: Señora
Maria Galbadon
Marcos R. Martinez: Padre
Tomas
Ray Salas: Kevin
Gia Valverde: Cassandra
Camilo Luera: Julian
Angelina Gurule, Yolanda
Ortega, Frank Fresquez: Coro
Veronica Ramirez, Heather
Arellano, Manuel Cabral, Luzila Contreras: Indian Dancers.
Your right about the welcoming environment and quality of production at Su Teatro, puro corazon..
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