recuerdos de mi mama

fell by the rose marine theater last night for the premier performance of recuerdos de mi mama: tributo a la epoca de oro, claudia acosta's sweet, funny remembrance of the golden age of mambo and mexican cinema. the show's a swirling pageant of eye-catching action, the theatrical equivalent of a night out in a pulsating dance hall, with music and movement serving as the backdrop for a half dozen small romantic dramas as the evening unfolds. the dialogue, in both spanish and english, is skillfully woven together in such a way that speakers of either language can easily follow the plot. the cast is uniformly stellar, bringing their array of zoot-suited pachucos and immaculately coiffed and perfumed mambo divas to vibrant life through dance and pantomime. adam dapkus (el), who previously made an impression as the strongman in a tale of los ninos cinco, is a particularly gifted physical comic, as is julio negron (el tonto), whose facial expressions speak volumes. as la coqueta, stephanie sandoval is mambo heat and passion incarnate, while rob bosquez shows he has skills as a performer as well as a playwright in a turn as a local mobster. the show's most touching moment comes when ama, "the queen of mambo," encounters her younger self (natalia dominguez) on the dancefloor. a feast for the eyes, and one that would prolly reward repeated viewings.

concurrently, the rose marine gallery is displaying works on metal by retired teacher guadalupe r. patino. recuerdos de mi mama runs weekends through march 19th, with performances at 7:30pm on fridays and saturdays and 2pm on sundays. teatro de la rosa's next production, a taming of the shrew set during the mexican revolution, opens may 12th.