By Sandi Masori
SAN DIEGO— Delightful! Adorable! Ear-wormy! Those are the first thoughts that come to mind when I think about Cygnet’s new musical Somewhere Over the Border. The world premiere written by Brian Quijada and directed by Carlos Mendoza is very loosely based on The Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum.
In this tale, based on a true story and set in El Salvador in the 1970s, we have young Reina (Vanessa Orozco) who dreams of a better life for her infant son. She learns from a neighbor that life is better in America and if she makes her way over to Mexico and finds the Grand Coyote of Tijuana. He can help lead her to freedom and prosperity in the States.
And so, she leaves her baby in the care of her mother Julia (Crissy Guerrero) and sets out on her way. As she crosses from country to country making her way by bus, she meets other travelers who have their own reasons for needing to go to America. First, we meet Cruz (Luis Sherlinee) who is a book-smart farmer yearning for higher education (missing his brain). They join forces and next meet Silvano (Edward Padilla) who is a grumpy innkeeper missing his family who immigrated to Pennsylvania five years before (missing his heart). And lastly, we encounter Catholic nun Leona (Luzma Ortiz) who dreams of being a rock star in America but keeps running away when she gets close to the border (missing her courage.) Together they set out to continue the journey to find the Grand Coyote. Chaos ensues.
I also need to mention the incredibly charismatic narrator (Fernando Vega), who also wears many literal hats as the various bus drivers, and other bit parts. One last cast member adding to the mix is child actor Dhani Solorio who plays 10-year-old Fernando.
The cast is phenomenal. Every single one of them. Guerroro, Orozco, and Ortiz all have incredible singing voices. (As do the men, but the women had more chances to show their range). The music is toe-tappy and ear-wormy. And the pacing is perfect.
I think that I could even go so far to say that this is the best performance I’ve seen at Cygnet since Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 which won numerous awards in 2024.
If you haven’t had a chance to check out Cygnet’s new theater in Liberty station, I highly recommend catching this heart-warming show.
Somewhere Over the Border plays through March 15.
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Associate Editor Sandi Masori is a theater and food reviewer for San Diego Jewish World. Professionally she helps people self-publish and dabbles in video production.