"Confessions of Women From East L.A." blazed onto the stage at Hanesbrands Theatre on Sunday afternoon with a series of provocative and thought-provoking monologues and near-monologues.
Written by Josefina Lopez and delivered by four talented actors, "Confessions" serves up the lives of nine vivid Latina women from a college professor to a revolutionary leader.
Olivia Elias, Jordan Frazier, Ruth de la Garza and Rocia Terry star in this first production by Theatre on Common Ground. The play is directed by Bryant Hernandez, the company's executive artistic director.
The women's lives unfold against a spectacular, brightly colored mural with the Virgin of Guadalupe as its centerpiece. A one-block area of East Los Angeles is defined simply by street signs, and scene changes are accomplished smoothly by the players themselves.
Victoria Marquez-Bernstein, Ph.D., played with authority by Elias, writes self-help books and teaches Latinas how to become "super Latina women."
De la Garza portrays Dona Concepcion with appropriate angst. Her husband has died, and she is telling a priest what she has told no one before: She is gay, has AIDS and is not sorry that her husband is dead.
Terry brings impressive passion to Roxie, a curvy martial artist charged with beating up a man who she claims attacked her. Her story finally wins the sympathy of her accusers. In her first professional role, according to the program notes, Frazier does a fine job as Tiffany. She is called on in class to make a speech in Spanish, a language not spoken in her home, about legislation. But her real concern is that Madonna has cast herself in the movie role of the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.
"Confessions" is a strongly crafted piece of theater, well-executed here by Theatre on Common Ground. It's a promising addition to the Winston-Salem theater scene, which is getting an exciting boost from the recently opened Hanesbrands Theatre.
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