The Kirk Douglas Theatre has reopened to the public after more than two years with the world premiere of ‘Alma’, written by up-and-coming playwright and L.A. native Benjamin Benne who combines humor and politics to open a window into an immigrant’s day-to-day life, serving as a great reminder about how one family’s dreams may shape our lives no matter in what community we choose to live. Directed by Juliette Carrillo, a Yale School of Drama graduate and faculty member at the University of California, Irvine, the play continues through April 3, produced in cooperation with American Blues Theater. Featured in the the cast are Sabrina Fest as daughter Angel and Cheryl Umaña as her mother Alma.
In Benne’s thought-provoking new play, Alma and Angel have built a lifetime upon wishes, one for each of Angel’s 17 years, including health, love, wanting carne asada every day, and hoping for a spot at UC Davis to study veterinary medicine. Now, on the eve of Angel’s SAT test, Alma comes home to discover her daughter is out drinking rather than studying for the exam. As Alma goes into her parenting toolbox, drawing on guilt, nostalgia and an expertly wielded chancla (sandal), we learn that there is more than one person’s future at stake, with their hopes and goals not in as close alignment as they once were.
Thanks to scenic designer Tanya Orellana, this slice-of-life, 90-minute play takes you into the realistic La Puente home of an immigrant mother and her born-in-America daughter who see life from different vantage points. Like all mothers, Alma wants the best for her daughter, but Angel is a modern girl who, as much as she knows her mother’s wants, cannot quite grasp that going to live so far away is the best possible life for the two of them. This is especially true given the immigration programs being put into place after the 2016 election, broadcast on a small TV set which brings the harsh reality of their situation into focus. The news puts a great deal of fear into both women’s hearts, worried they will be torn apart before Angel reaches the age of 21 and can sponsor her mother for citizenship.
So great is their fear of deportation that when the electricity goes out, forcing the women to search for candles to ward off the darkness, a loud knock at the door causes the women to freeze in place, thinking they are about to be torn apart by immigration authorities at their door. So real is that fear, I could feel it in my soul and gasped for air.
Cheryl Umaña commands the stage from start to finish, opening her heart and soul as a mother torn between what she thinks is best for the daughter at the center of her world. Willing to do whatever it takes to be sure her daughter is well taken care of, Alma is the type of loving and dedicated mother everyone should have, even if her demanding ways sometimes cause great rifts and arguments. Sabrina Fest, a graduate of USC’s School of Dramatic Arts, portrays daughter Angel as a typical, entitled millennial, not really wanting to grasp the reality of what the world has in store for her after leaving the safety under her mother’s wings. So why in the world would she ever want to go away to college and have to fend for herself? These two talented actors delivered many of Benne’s lines in Spanglish, but always managed to make their conversations totally understandable in their intent, while keeping their loving relationship truthful during the wide range of emotions at the center of the play.
Tickets for ‘Alma’ start at $30, available through CenterTheatreGroup.org, Audience Services at (213) 628-2772 or in person at the Center Theatre Group Box Offices (at the Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A. 90012 or at the Kirk Douglas Theatre at 9820 Washington Blvd. in Culver City 90232). The production runs through April 3, made possible in part by the City of Culver City and its Cultural Affairs Commission, with support from Sony Pictures Entertainment and the Culver City Arts Foundation.
Center Theatre Group requires all audience members to provide proof of full vaccination along with a government or education issued photo ID upon arrival. Booster shots are required for anyone who is eligible. Unvaccinated guests, including children or those with a medical or religious reason, or those that are eligible for a booster shot and have not yet received it, must provide proof of a professionally-administered negative PCR COVID-19 test taken no more than 48 hours prior to attending an indoor performance, or a negative rapid antigen test taken no more than 24 hours prior to attending an indoor performance. Guests are required to wear masks at all times inside the venue.