The subject of women and friendship gets a Latin twist in Enfrascada, written by award-winning, Mexican-born playwright Tanya Saracho. It’s a play that delights with its marvelous dialogue, even as its plot begins to unravel in the later scenes. In any case, Rennaisance Theaterworks deserves credit for showcasing a female playwright who has a lot to say about the experience of Hispanic women.
The play begins with two longtime girlfriends in their mid-twenties. They are searching for a good spot to hear a summer concert. We learn that one of the women is married, and the other is dating a guy in the band. The concert is being held in Milwaukee.
As they wait for a third girlfriend to arrive, their conversation flows easily and their one-liners are hilarious. They cover familiar territory for women their age (bad hair days, shoes, etc.). Occasional jabs at Wisconsin are also part of the fun. When one friend comments that they may be overdressed for the occasion, the other friend replies, “We could be dressed in pajamas and still be (considered) overdressed. This is Wisconsin.”
As they are joined by a third friend, Alicia, the dialogue becomes a mish-mash of English and Spanish as they all attempt to speak over each other. Director Michelle Lopez-Rios manages to deftly weave these conversations together.
The girlfriends can’t wait to share their opinions, especially on the subject of men. Yesenia, looking like a throwback to the 1970s with frizzy hair and platform shoes, is the most vocal (and foul-mouthed) of the three. Yunuen Pardo, as Carolina, is a mere slip of a woman. Carolina is a bit superstitious and rather smug about her work-free lifestyle. (She is happy to let her husband provide for them.) In contrast, Alicia (Rana Roman) is the breadwinner for herself and her longtime, unemployed boyfriend. Although we never meet the guy, he is certainly a main topic of conversation throughout the play.
Alicia has recently returned to Milwaukee, partly to be with her boyfriend. She refuses to let go of her infatuation with him despite the fact that, in her absence, he has dumped her for another woman. The other two friends try to set her straight about situation, to no avail. Then they suggest visiting a Hispanic “wise woman,” called Senoras, who apparently have the power to alter life’s situations. The Senoras apparently follow ancient customs to predict the future or, as Alicia desires, to bring a man back to his woman. Alicia eventually warms to the idea. She visits a number of these women. Each one asks Alicia to perform an outrageous task: most of them involve filling a glass jar with a hodgepodge of objects and then placing it in a certain location. Alicia is now thoroughly convinced that otherworldly forces can bring back the man she loves. A clever piece of scenery shows how the contents of these jars are threatening to overtake Alicia’s life.
Eventually, Alicia’s friends regret even mentioning this solution to her. The audience, too, tires of the repetitious sequence of the scenes. This is not the fault of the actors who create these “wise women” but a playwright who fails to move beyond this set-up.
On the subject of quibbles, one wishes that more comic material could have been handled by the skilled actress Karen Estrada, who fills a number of minor roles here. Estrada does a good job of differentiating between her characters, which include Alicia’s cousin, one of the Senoras, etc. But her comic talents are not tapped to their full extent.
Another disappointment is the play’s abrupt ending. Enfrascada begins with a punch, but it ends in a whimper. Perhaps the playwright is still tinkering with modified endings. This one certainly fails to satisfy.
The three girlfriends make a terrific ensemble. Rana Roman, Yadira Correa and Yunuen Pardo hit all the right notes to make their characters delightful to watch. If Yadira Correa has never considered doing stand-up comedy, she certainly has the vocal rhythms and moves for it. These characters demonstrate how they come through for each other in good times and bad, and that comes across loud and clear during every minute of Enfrascada.
