|
 |
|
|
|
Este informe no está disponible en español. South Florida Sun-SentinelGuys And DollBy Jack ZinkOctober 7, 2001
4 Guys Named Jose... And Una Mujer Named Maria ---------- The Actors’ Playhouse strikes paydirt with the bombastic musical revue 4 Guys Named Jose... And Una Mujer Named Maria. Big voices, broad comedy and vivid colors splash the Miracle Theatre audiences in a show that’s lots more fun than its slight premise has a right to be. What makes 4 Guys work is personality. The cast has it in spades. Each member of the quintet radiates enough stage presence to sell the goods, a generous mix of international song standards, show-business chestnuts and ethnic cliches. One shines brighter than the rest: Lissette Gonzalez, the gorgeous girl next door whose affections are being sought by each of the four Joses in the show. Director Susana Tubert and choreographer Maria Torres maneuver Gonzalez to leading-lady status in an ensemble package that otherwise rotates through the cast’s talents. Gonzalez, a former Miss Miami, Miss Florida and Miss America runner-up, responds with disarming comic flair. 4 Guys is set in a VFW hall in Omaha, Neb., during a snowstorm. The hall’s tacky stage is surrounded by fluted ochre columns and filled with garishly colored props (check out those palm trees). It’s the perfect excuse for homesick Latino entertainers to revel in their musical heritage. The first half is a showcase of crossover hits and standards, mostly in English, including Gonzalez’s opening solo, "Perfidia"; the Richie Valens rock ’n’ roll classic "La Bamba," performed by Henry Gainza; Ricky Martin’s "Livin’ La Vida Loca," sung by a hip-swaying Allen Hidalgo, and "Macarena," "Besame Mucho," "Magic Is the Moonlight" and "Guantanamera." After intermission, both the material and the mood become more fervent. These songs, sung mostly in Spanish, range from passionate to wistful celebrations of ethnic cultures. 4 Guys wears its diversity proudly, starting with the characters themselves. Hidalgo plays Jose Boricua, representing Puerto Rico; Gainza is Jose Mexicano; Jorge E. Maldonado is Jose Dominicano; and Ricardo Puente is Jose Cubano. Each takes turns on a ballad about distant hometowns, "Nostalgia Habanera" by Puente, "Santiago" by Maldonado, "Veracruz" by Gainza and "En Mi Viejo San Juan" by Hidalgo. A similar rotation allows each guy to serenade Gonzalez with a Maria song respective to each homeland, including "Maria Bonita," "Maria Elena" and "Maria La O." Flanking the ballads are comic renditions of tunes made popular in the United States, often with revised lyrics that have no semblance to the original, and novelty songs whose lyrics are nonsensical in any language. The concept by David Coffman and playwright Dolores Prida merely sets a time, place and comic situation for what is otherwise a concert anthology. More than Five Guys Named Moe and other revues whose setups it loosely copies, 4 Guys rides on the crest of its good-natured humor for its entirety. Long after the conceit wears thin, the cast polishes the hoariest routines as effectively as Milton Berle recycled old jokes. Musical ability is a big part of the success, too. Puente’s strong, contoured baritone is a highlight every time he cranks to full throttle. Gainza’s appealing tenor is the show’s most graceful and romantic vocal instrument. Hidalgo and Maldonado bring effective pop-belter equipment to the mix. Gonzalez, though used mostly for her smoky lower register and midrange, also tempts with a clear upper register we’d like to hear more of. The performers are backed by an instrumental trio that’s carefully matched to the material, with Melvin Macias on piano, Eddie Bercia on drums and timbales, and Leo Garcia on latin percussion. For South Florida, whose pop and rock music culture is deeply influenced by the sounds of the Caribbean, 4 Guys is an easy crossover hit.
4 Guys Named Jose... And Una Mujer Named Maria When: Through Dec. 3. Shows 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday Tickets: $32-$35 Info: Call 305-444-9293
|
----------