World Classic @ Bishop Arts Theatre
—Teresa Marrero
World Classic, a New York/Puerto Rican family drama written by Nelson Díaz-Mercano and directed by Dr. Marta Torres for Bishop Arts Theatre, unfolds within the trope of a family gathering during a special occasion, wherein old wounds (re)surface and emotions explode. The trope is not new; the focus in World Classic is on Latino identity politics among those Puerto Ricans who came to the U.S. (in this case to the Bronx, New York City) and those who stayed behind; between those who visit the Island often and speak Spanish, and those who don’t. This is also an age-old topic that has been circulating within Latiné scholarship and creative fiction since the mid-20th century.
The family is gathering to watch a world class baseball game, and its quickly clear that the focus of family patriarch Papo (Andy González-Bendiksen) is to honor and idealize his dead son Manolo, an aspiring major league baseball player.
Within the play, three main themes emerge. One centers on Papo and wife Gloria (Beningna Ojeda), whose lives were forever marked by the loss of that eldest son to suicide—as were the lives of their two surviving offspring, Luisito (Eric García) and Miriam (Tamika Sanders). Chachi (Mies Quatrino), a visiting cousin from Puerto Rico, completes this family portrait. Manolo had been slated to fulfill Papo´s professional sports ambitions. These were thwarted when Manolo “jumped”—an allusion to suicide.
The second thematic hinge concentrates on Luisito´s and Miriam´s cultural identities. Luisito was born in the United States, and on the feast day he is depicted as wearing an outer sports shirt favoring the U.S., and an inner one with a Puerto Rican slant. Of course he sees himself as bi-cultural; but he is the butt of jokes and derision from the family, as he doesn’t speak Spanish and has never once visited Puerto Rico. Returning to the Island and speaking Spanish seem to be key components of “belonging” to the family culture, and Luisito fails on both counts.
His elder sister Miriam is portrayed as the family “sellout” because she procured an education and left the Bronx for a better neighborhood, another often-used and unfortunate trope with Latiné literature and drama. Cousin Chachi, who self-identifies as lesbian, provides a counterpoint to Miriam. Her authenticity as a true Puerto Rican is never questioned. Her gender identity does become an issue, however, when she is asked by Papo (her uncle) to dress more “ladylike” to offset the prejudices of other invitees to the party. The issue of Chachi´s gender identity links her to her dead cousin Manolo, whose suicide was apparently connected to his conflicted gay identity (an issue never openly discussed within the family).
Thus far we find all the major elements that characterize the family drama trope within immigrant literatures in the United States, with the added element of gender identity conflicts. The dramatic conflict here is specifically linked to the notion that to remain true to one´s roots, one must remain in the barrio. A noteworthy example of the complexity of that idea is singer Jennifer López, who has capitalized on her image as “Jenny from the block” although she no longer lives in the Bronx, her original home in NYC.
The third dramatic aspect focuses on a father so preoccupied with working all hours and providing his family with economic comfort (they too moved out of the Bronx to a town on Long Island)—only to be reproached by his family for being an emotionally absent parent.
What a party!
All these conflicts come to a head one by one, but wait: Papo also experiences the coup de grace of having Gloria give him a wifely ultimatum.
Designer Mya Cockrell’s set offers a basic living room, its focal point the late Manolo´s baseball shirt, lovingly enshrined upstage; a table with party goods, including a cooler with Puerto Rican beer; balloons and confetti. Sound design by Joshua Nguyen includes classic Puerto Rican salsa, a welcome relief at some critical points from the atmosphere of family tension.
While the transgenerational traumas of immigration and the subsequent identity issues of younger generations is an ongoing cultural phenomenon world-wide, it would be refreshing to see these topics dramatically represented with more nuanced portrayals. Returning to one´s place of birth is not a viable option for many, and getting an education is not a sellout—nor is improving one´s economic situation. And integrating one´s multi-cultural heritage is usually a plus, not a minus. And the issue of gender identity within family structures deserve a deeper, more complex approach, whether the topic is a suicide linked to (among other factors) a family’s silence, or quarreling over what clothing one chooses to wear at family gatherings.
Teresa Marrero is Professor of Latin American and Latiné Theater in the Department of Spanish at North Texas State University.
WHEN: May 4-21
WHERE: Bishop Arts Theater Center
