boxcar

managed to catch teatro de la rosa's next-to-last performance of boxcar and came away moved as well as impressed. it was nice to see the performance so well-attended; looks like the little theater that could is growing up. since the last time i was at the rose marine, director rob bosquez has taken over as artistic director for fort worth theatre and directed a successful production of death of a salesman for them. but he seems at home at the rose and boxcar's multi-leveled complexity makes it just bosquez's meat. silvia gonzalez s.'s drama delves beneath the socioeconomic dimensions of immigration to explore the struggles for identity that take place within individuals as well as between groups in a diverse society. the action takes place in present-day texas, where a conflicted chicano border patrol officer wrestles with ambivalence over his job while seven illegals, abandoned by a coyote (smuggler) in a locked boxcar, tell their stories and talk about their fears, hopes, and dreams.

some of the characters (the anglo border patrolman played by thad isbell; the young salvadoran played by ronald fernandez, jr.) appear primarily to express different perspectives, but a few standout portrayals compel the viewer to connect with these men on a human level: anthony marquez as the disenchanted cop roberto (particularly in the second act, after his facade of professionalism cracks, then shatters); ramiro mungia as the light-skinned huero; fernando adame as pepe, the old man who's a veteran of many journeys to the north; and especially shawn gann as pepe's friend manuel, the ever-optimistic "master of ceremonies" whose jokes and stories only fail him at the very end. and carlos guerrero davila, as the aztec skull dancer, is a gifted physical comic. a powerful piece, masterfully brought to life.