By Eva Trieger
LA JOLLA, California — The current offering at La Jolla Playhouse attempts to provide unity and solidarity for those Latinos disenfranchised by politics and economics. Fandango for Butterflies (and Coyotes) celebrates the “joyous, inclusive spirit” that coexists along with the divisiveness and inequity facing immigrants. Through music and dance, audiences are let into the challenging and often harsh realities immigrants of so many Latin American countries have faced, while trying to gain access to America.
Nearly all of the characters have been separated from parents, children, grandparents, and their native microcosmic cultures. Yet, the aura in the sanctuary of the set exudes acceptance, understanding, and an undercurrent of shared experiences. Whether the arduous and terrifying journey began in Guatemala, Ecuador, Honduras, or Mexico, the immigrants all recounted their agonizing and exhausting journey. Each shared tales of cruel and exploitative “coyotes” who took their money and often abandoned them to find their own way across the border. The painful memories of their reality serve to unify the group and provide support and a degree of optimism.
Mari (Jen Anaya) appears to be the organizer of the fandango, a festival intended to celebrate Latino cultures of every country of origin. Each culture has its own nuanced melodies, foods, and dances, but there are more similarities than differences. Mari expresses her guilt over leaving her family behind, but she sends money and has built the house she promised her mother in her homeland. Rogelio (Carlo Alban) has not seen his wife or daughter for ten years. He speaks to his daughter on the phone but realizes she would not recognize him if they met. This grieves him, but his desire for love allows him to appeal to Mari to accept their present and be lovers. Elvin (Danny Ray Caraballo) is truly a tragic figure. He is trapped by his situation and spends the bulk of the play worrying that his cousin, Johan, will run into trouble with unscrupulous and greedy coyotes or ICE agents while trying to find his way to the fandango. Pili (Frances Ines Rodriguez) is an integral part of the storytelling, with wisdom and skills admired by all the other characters. An engineer by training, Pili offers expertise and strength to the cast. Johan (Roberto Tolentino) the newest immigrant to America provides insight into the struggles of having to run at night and hide during the day to avoid detection. Finally, Rafaela (Silvia Dionicio) aches for the parents she has lost. Her mother left her as an infant to get papers. Rafaela is educated and has known a relatively stable home; she is still trying to understand her own role in the world as a Latina. The cast is supported and at turns, led by musicians Sinuhe Padilla and Tania Mesa.
The show is performed in English and Spanish, and cleverly the Playhouse has monitors on either side of the stage to provide translation of dialogue for viewers. The sliding back and forth in languages works well in this play. We also see that the variations in language can be overcome by music, a universal tongue.
The instrument that all cast members play resembles a ukelele. The South American charango is a stringed instrument that probably was native to the Andes when the Spanish colonized the region. The instrument may be used as a drum when knocked or as a plaintive cry when minor chords are strummed. The cast performed songs with enthusiasm and made use of their boots with brush steps and stomps to emphasize emotion and convey feelings.
The play left me uncomfortable. It raised many social issues and problems for which we have no answers. Characters talked about the issues with the inability to trust a system that lies to them and mistreats them. Even those individuals who comply with semi-annual ICE visits are deported seemingly on a whim. Our government policies destroy the family structure for so many of these immigrants, that I am left to wonder if humanity is a thing of the past. And perhaps it is because I was unsettled by this play, it should be seen and discussed by individuals and policymakers.
Fandango for Butterflies (And Coyotes) runs until September 25, 2022. Tickets may be purchased online at LaJollaPlayhouse.org or by phone (858) 550-1010.
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Eva Trieger is a freelance writer specializing in the arts. She may be contacted via eva.trieger@sdjewishworld.com