Sonnets For An Old Century
Sonnets For An Old Century
By Jose Rivera
Directed by John DiDonna
Mad Cow Theatre, Orlando, FL</strong>
It’s not easy to find a thread through this disparate collection of monologs about urban life, but each of the individual stories are gems. The ensemble of tellers represents a slice of Los Angles inhabitants, some funny, some sad, and all talking about Life, however you define it. Michael Sapp performs two of the best – a dad and his son playing tourist and accidentally wearing some gang colors, and finding similarities been slaughtering live stock and a black man dealing with the LAPD. Jill Jones tells the story of choking on the brown air of LA until one night she saw the most fabulous sunset, and meets the love of her life who’s been living next door for the past 3 years. Ron McDuffie argues with God over his working class sins, and Trennel Mooring agonized over sending her child to a safe, caring mostly white private school or to exposing her to the full fury of the Angelino educational class struggle. Avis Marie Barnes played a Spanish woman who supported her loser husband while popping out 16 consecutive bambini, and Leander Suleiman tearfully described bullying and near rape in the school yard.
There’s little to tie these stories together other than location and a loose time frame. The dramaturgy notes explain author Rivera’s belief that writers ought to “Write outside their culture.” This worthy attitude clashes with the “It’s a Black Thing, you wouldn’t understand” view so often taken when whites write about minority cultures. If Mr. Rivera sets out to capture other’s worldviews, he’s done an admirable job, and if Mr. DiDonna strives to make us think outside of our condos, he also has excelled.
For more information on Mad Cow, please visithttp://www.madcowtheatre.com
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