Amielynn Abellera and Ben Larson (Photo by Jason Williams)
Reviewed by Steven Vargas
Skylight Theatre Company
Through June 29
RECOMMEND
Constanza De La Fe (Amielynn Abellera) drums against her chest as if her life depends on it, thumping a rhythm only she knows. With eyes closed, she chants, “Run, run dammit, run.”
Her world swells until her other half — her lifeline — returns like a saving grace. The fear on her face fades, and her eyes open wide with hope. She’s finally in control of her story, at least for now.
Roger Q. Mason’s world premiere production of Hide & Hide at Skylight Theatre Company, which is also part of a city-wide presentation of their “Califas Trilogy,” reflects on what it means to be American. Constanza, a Filipina immigrant, and Billy “Sweet Boy” Adams (Ben Larson), a queer rent-boy from Texas, both make their way to Los Angeles in 1980 to start a new life. In their pursuit of survival and the American dream, their worlds collide into a sham marriage. They quickly learn it is not easy to escape their past. This heart-racing tale about two people attempting to take the reins of their own story transports viewers into a chaotic cyclone of memories. Under the direction of Jessica Hanna, the leading duo fully embodies the emotions and characters of Mason’s play with impeccable specificity and a gut-punching dose of reality.
Hide & Hide feels like an intoxicating high, perfectly capturing the Los Angeles haze of fame and possibility. Mason crafts the play with Los Angeles’s emotional tug-of-war in mind, giving the characters something to aspire to with the caveat of sacrifice. This is best seen when they first meet at a dance club. Constanza sings the “toot toot, beep beep” of Donna Summer’s “Bad Girls” while she shimmies her way closer to Billy. They lock eyes and their chemistry boils. Just when it feels like their happy ending is underway, a lawyer named Ricky interrupts the meet-cute, altering the trajectory of their story. Ricky, a gay Filipino with his eye on Billy and a hand hoisting Constanza up the ranks, will soon set their lives into dangerous territory.
The play incorporates over a dozen characters, all performed by Abellera and Larson. They approach this performance challenge head-on. With the assistance of dialect coach Giovanni Ortega, they transform themselves and the stage into new personalities. From Constanza’s Tita to a slew of men bartering for Billy’s body, Abellera and Larson alter their voices, stances and gaze to conform to different characters at a moment’s notice. Their artistic feat allows Mason’s Homeric storytelling to shine.
Written as a tale shared over a fire pit, the musical rhythm of Hide & Hide requires a tight synthesis of performance and design. The scenic design by Christopher Scott Murillo sets the acting duo in a barren, gray room. Piles of soda cups, telephone wire and various props are strewn across the stage, adding to the realm of possibility. Brandon Baruch’s lighting design and Amelia Anello’s sound design churn the story forward, allowing each beat and character to have their moment in a new environment. In the club, the lights and music thump to the dance music. On the bus, all eyes are on the lovebirds in the spotlight as the engine hums. The most poignant synthesis arrives in the form of a confession.
“Can you touch me, Matt?” Billy asks the boy of his childhood memories. Larson’s performance reflects the risk of the ask. His character’s bravado disappears, and the innocent, religious child from Texas surfaces. He appears small. When Matt (played by Abellera in the scene) ridicules him with slurs, betrayal crosses Larson’s face. He lifts Abellera as if tossing her to the ground. Time freezes. The lights bleed red rage, the environment swells as they move in slow motion. Abellera reaches her arms out, grasping for a lifeline. It’s a breathtaking image.
The play’s final moments reveal the truth behind Constanza’s chant to run. The duo spends most of the play trying to outrun their past lives because, as they say in the play, America is where you can be whoever you want to be. No one knows this better than Constanza. Abellera is a powerhouse performer who embodies Constanza’s nuanced emotional arc and American experience. She fills the stage with a powerful cry that reflects Mason’s candid musing. “Hide & Hide” is more than a story about two people trying to make it. It is a story about the cost of ambition and the grit driving a person’s chase to the pursuit of happiness. It is a story about America.
Skylight Theatre Company, 1816 1/2 N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA. Opens Fri., May 16; thru June 29. https://www.skylighttheatre.org/hide-and-hide Running time: 80 minutes with no intermission.
