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Chavez Ravine: An L.A. Revival
Reviewed by Lovell Estell III
Kirk Douglas Theatre
Through March 1
RECOMMENDED:
This is a cleverly reworked version of Culture Clash’s 2003 play that ran at the Mark Taper forum. Director Lisa Peterson returns to helm this highly entertaining production. New material has been added, and the writing-performing trio of Richard Montoya, Ric Salinas and Herbert Siguenza are more engaging and loose this go around (the bark may have mellowed, but the satiric bite is still there, however).
The play tells the story of the large Mexican-American community that once inhabited the hills of Chavez Ravine in the 1950s, and of the back-room skullduggery that resulted in their losing the land and their homes, which ultimately cleared the way for the construction of Dodger Stadium.
The narrative cycles around activist Maria (the outstanding Sabina Zuniga Varela) and her family’s struggle to keep their home, and this sobering tale about power and politics receives splendid visual enhancement by the use of screens front and side, which display vintage photos of the era and community (a gem of a design by Jason H. Thompson). It is a complex story made understandable, funny, and a bit too simple by Culture Clash’s formidable comedic chops and jokey channeling of characters — from plain, poor folk to shady pols, celebrities and even Fernando Valenzuela, who has a prominent role throughout, starting with the first scene when he takes the mound on opening day 1981.
Rachel Hauck’s attractive set—constructed as a radio studio—boasts wood flooring with a faded, antique patina, old fashioned desks, microphones and a raised platform for the three piece band that spices up the production with folk music and familiar American ditties. Subtlety and effectiveness are the hallmarks of José López’s lighting schema.
Center Theatre Group at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City; Tue.-Fri., 8 p.m., Sat., 2 & 8 p.m; Sun., 1 & 6:30 p.m.; through March 1. (213)- 628-2772, or https://wwwcentertheatregroup.org
