By Sandi Masori in San Diego
What do yogis and construction workers have in common? That’s exactly what The Hombres by Tony Meneses, now playing at The Old Globe, tries to imagine.
Directed by James Vasquez and performed in the theater-in-the-round, scenic designer David I. Reynoso created a set where the center of the stage is the yoga center, and the “scaffolding” on either side represents the construction site. It’s an arrangement that works well and keeps a clear delineation for the audience on what’s happening where. I always marvel at the creativity required to create a world with an audience on all four sides of the stage.
We are introduced to Julián (Jonny Beauchamp) who is a mess of contradictions. He’s gay, but scared of men, and Hispanic but speaks no Spanish. While he is trying to figure out how to accept a gesture of friendship from straight hunk Miles (Robert Lenzi), the construction workers around the side of the building are doing their thing, and sometimes to the point of disrupting the ladies in the studio.
One of the workers, Héctor (Martin Solá), is struggling with anger issues that prompted a separation from his wife. He notices that the people who come out of the yoga studio come out more relaxed than they go in and wants to try it. So he offers his labor as a custodian in exchange for private lessons. Soon his crewmate Pedro (Jesse J. Perez) finds out and wants to join in. This causes some friction with the third on their team, young Beto (Jason Sanchez).
Shout out to silver foxes Solá and Perez. They shine especially brightly in their roles.
There are moments of levity in the play, but I would not call it a comedy. Instead, it leaves you thinking, “what is masculinity really?”
The Hombres plays through June 21.
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Associate Editor Sandi Masori is a theater and food reviewer for San Diego Jewish World.