When your present is boring and/or future uncertain, it's easy to muse upon your past. This search for "roots" may be based in recorded lineage, or may reach back centuries to an age/place/tribe/event rendered all the more mythical by the reluctance of immediate relations to share in your obsession. After all, hasn't the promise of North America always been that of putting the old behind and making a fresh start in the new? These factors predispose 22-year-old New York City-raised second-generation Maria Garcia, disgruntled over being perceived as a "token Latina" at her corporate job and jilted by a boyfriend who fears his parents' disapproval, to arrive at her Puerto Rican family's rural home eager to embrace the enchanted island with brazos abiertos. What she encounters is cousin Iris unable to find work, neighboring farmer Ramon "Monchi" Reyes reliant on precarious climate conditions, and Aunt Norma bitter at having been appointed family caregiver after Maria's mother escaped to an exciting life in foreign lands. Only Uncle Manolo — whose ill health curtailed his career in the theater (but who mysteriously rallies under Maria's influence) — sympathizes with the young woman's anomie. Assimilation usually requires at least four generations and concerted effort on the part of those seeking inclusion. Maria is not the first child of immigrant parents to be stricken by ancestor worship, nor the first vacationer to succumb to illusion bred of leisure time, spending money, and tourist privilege. The universality of this experience may account for Carmen Rivera's award-wining play now celebrating the 20th anniversary of its off-Broadway run at the Repertorio Español. Under the direction of Miranda Gonzales, this Urban Theater Company production (performed in English, with occasional asides in Spanish) remains always faithful to its cultural demographic, while appealing to audiences of all ethnicities. Sofia Tew makes a charmingly naive Maria and Anthony DeJesus a winsome Monchi, but it is the warmth and vitality conveyed by Frankie Davila's mischievous Manolo, Nydia Castillo's gruff Aunt Norma, Philip Camacho's patient Uncle Victor and NK Gutierrez's restless Iris that ensure our enjoyment right up to the reconciliatory conclusion. Commendations are also due the technical team — in particular, Caswell James' scenic design and Antonio Bruno's score of ambient isla bonita sounds — who conjure pictures of a tropical paradise in the cozy Batey Urbano so inviting that you might leave wanting to book tickets for the Caribbean before winter comes.
