Four Guys Named Jose - And Una Mujer Named Maria

There was a time around the mid-20th century when one could truthfully say that the entertainer most visibly personifying the Latino temperament and artistry was Carmen Miranda, a.k.a. the Brazilian bombshell. Of course, the image of the short, fiery, motor-mouthed senorita with the tall, banana-topped headdress as the representative of so many diverse cultures was as limiting, and misleading, as it was grievously short-sighted. But let's give the much-maligned but incomparable Miranda her due for starting the rage north of the border for the pulsating music and rhythms, and for the hot-blooded musicians, dancers, and singers that have since become a major part of mainstream entertainment. Commemorating all this, and including a dippy nod to Miranda, is the over-all dippy new musical celebration of Latin music, Four Guys And A Mujer Named Maria. That the four guys - Philip Anthony, Henry Gainza, Allen Hidalgo and Ricardo Puente - are upstaged most of the time by the much more beautiful and curvy Lissette Gonzalez is a positive distraction. That Gonzalez is a major looker while the guys definitely ain't is only a minor consequence.

There is, above all, a wealth and variety of insinuating, pulsating music and five fine voices to sing them. Backed by an on-stage instrumental trio, framed by five well dispersed palm trees, and dressed in lots of pretty costumes (to mostly show off Gonzalez' shapely legs) by Tania Bass, the exuberant company spends its time passionately shaking their agile frames to the beat of the salsa, bolero, cha cha, mambo, and merengue. Choreographer Maria Torres puts a lots of steps onto a small space. Notwithstanding the performers' rather futile attempt to be funny for most of the show's two hours, this is, nevertheless, good-natured entertainment and offers a bright and broad overview of Latino songs and dances. That is, when it isn't being torpedoed by a book credited to Dolores Prido.

Snowbound in Nebraska, four gifted guys, one from Puerto Rico, one from Cuba, one from Mexico and one from the Dominican Republic decide to put on a show that presents a positive Latin-American image. They naturally feel they have to pay homage to the stereotypes that led the way. In quick succession, and with madcap abandon, they playfully evoke such icons as Desi Arnaz, Tito Puente, Santana, and, of course, with Ricky Martin. That their time is also amusingly spent wooing Maria with their musical prowess goes without saying.

Curiously, some of the loveliest Latin music of past decades - "Frenesy," "Amor," "Magic is the Moonlight" (didn't Esther Williams do the backstroke to this?), and "Besame Mucho" are more lampooned than lovingly addressed. The better second half settles down for some more romantic and nostalgic moments, as each singer croons nostalgically of his home with such reveries as "Mi Viejo San Juan," "Santiago" "Vera Cruz," and "Havana." A working knowledge of Spanish is helpful, but not necessary. A swiveling hip needs no translation. The show's good director Susana Tubert knows the limitations of the script and brushes them aside.