[adrotate banner=”95″]
[ssba]
Placas: The Most Dangerous Tattoo
Reviewed by Neal Weaver
Casa 0101 Theatre
Through February 28
RECOMMENDED
This play, by writer-producer Paul S. Flores, sets out to examine the life of Salvadoran immigrants in the U.S., but it’s also part of an attempt to stop gang violence. It examines, among other things, the role of placas in gang life. (“Placas” is barrio slang for body tattoos that proclaim one’s membership and unwavering loyalty to the gang.)
The back story is a complicated one, rooted in the bloody, violent and conflict-ridden history of El Salvador. During the Salvadoran Civil War (1980-1992), 25 percent of the population fled to the United States. There they faced poverty, discrimination, and gang violence, and formed their own gangs in self-defense. The placas became an instrument of solidarity in the community but, like gang-colors, also became an invitation to violence from rival gangs, and anathema to American authorities trying to root out gang warfare.
In order to obtain pardons or paroles, individuals were required to have their tattoos removed in a long and painful laser treatment procedure. Such removal was regarded in some quarters as a betrayal of the community. People were damned in society at large for having the the tattoos, and damned in their communities for removing them. It was often a no-win situation, where having a placa could make one a target for death.
Flores’ play (loosely based on the life of former gang member Alex Sanchez) centers on Fausto Carbajál, played by Salvadoran-born Ric Salinas (Culture Clash). Fausto emigrates to San Francisco, joins in the local gang life, and marries Claudia (Zilah Mendoza). Blamed for a gang murder he didn’t commit, he’s extradited back to El Salvador and imprisoned. Claudia, already pregnant with Fausto’s son and bucking family disapproval, moves out of the old neighbor-hood, inadvertently settling in rival gang territory.
Finally released from prison and back in San Francisco, Fausto is determined to reclaim the son he has never seen. But he’s harassed by both local law enforcement and gang leaders. And his teenage son Edgar (Xavi Moreno) despises the father who, he thinks, abandoned him. Edgar is angry, recalcitrant, rebellious, and already finding his way into the local gangs. Between father and son lurks an almost impassable generation gap, and both are heavily indoctrinated in their separate gang values, which include rabid machismo and an inflated sense of honor.
Fausto attempts to involve Edgar in the life of his family, including his mother (Sarit a Ocón), and his priest brother (Eric Aviles). The boy is torn between loyalty to family and loyalty to his neighborhood and its gangs. Gang life emerges as an ongoing catch-22, fiercely difficult to escape.
Flores’ script — which is deeply rooted in the interviews he conducted among the Salvadoran community — is not dramaturgically sophisticated, but its simplicity adds to its sense of veracity and authenticity. Director Fidel Gomez provides a faithful production, and he has cast it well, with versatile actors who, in some cases, play multiple disparate characters.
Salinas’ Fausto is strong, eloquent and solid: firm in his determination to save his son, even though the odds are against him. Mendoza captures Claudia’s toughness as well as her love and loyalty. Moreno lends conviction to Edgar’s smart-alecky defiance. And Ocón shines as Fausto’s feisty mother. The simple but effective set is enlivened by projections designed by Yee Eun Nam.
Casa 0101, 2102 East 1st Street, Boyle Heights. Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 5 p.m.; www.casa0101.org. Running time: Two hours and 15 minutes with one intermission.
