RaeAnne Carlsen, Bernadette Speakes, Doug Kabak, Markhum Stansbury (Grettal Cortes Photography)
Reviewed by Julyza Commodore
Company of Angels
Thru November 5th
RECOMMENDED
It is the time of Obon – an annual holiday where one’s ancestors are commemorated and are believed to come back from the dead until the sun sets. Written by Kimba Henderson, Rise tells the story of Emmeline (Bernadette Speakes) and what she has experienced that keeps her from never leaving Boyle Heights and visiting Evergreen Cemetery every year during Obon.
The play spans various years going back as far as 1934 (with present day being 2015). Because it dates so far back, we are able to see the life of Young Emmeline (Justeen Butler) play out and to learn eventually why she is so connected to Boyle Heights. Where some people, such as her husband Bruce (Sherrick O’Quinn) don’t see the neighborhood as having much value, she does. This production sheds light on a group of people who are rarely portrayed with such authenticity on TV, in movies, or even in the modern American theater. Additionally, intersectionality between different racial and ethnic groups is a subject matter as well.
Because the event of ancestors coming from the dead and visiting their loved ones is a focal point of the show, the gravesite is the main, and only, setting. However, the single setting feels constrained, given the play’s cosmic dimensions. Under Lui Sanchez’s astute direction, with actors playing multiple roles, the relationships between the characters are beautifully fleshed out, particularly that between mother and son Julia (Speakes) and Sam (O’Quinn).
The show sheds light on the Blackness of Boyle Heights which is intriguing and important to see, as it is rarely talked about. But it is here, in this story of intersectionality, history and what the power of love can do.
Company of Angels, 1350 San Pablo Street, East LA; Fri.-Sat., 8 pm; Sun., 7 pm; thru Nov. 5. https://companyofangels.org. Running time: two hours including intermission
