We’re back at it reviewing global majority-focused Los Angeles theatre for 2024 and I can safely say it’s off to a terrific start! The Rogue Machine Theatre kicks off their new season with the West Coast premiere of Middle of the World, written by Juan José Alfonso and directed by Guillermo Cienfuegos, and it is a riveting and rather timely play that crackles with energy, soul, and fire.
With an intriguing premise and story, they are lifted by its fierce ensemble cast, led by the magnetic Cheryl Umaña and charismatic Christian Telesmar as the two leads.
Photo by Jeff Lorch (and all photos from here on in this review)
Victoria was an important person in Ecuador. Now broke, disgraced and separated from her son, she is determined to get back home and regain what she has lost. Glenn worked his way from low-income housing to the verge of closing the biggest deal of his impressive career in finance. But is business success what he’s really chasing? Middle of the World means you cannot be in two places at once. You must choose. And when you choose, it means giving something up. What are they willing to sacrifice? For power, for principles and for love? On a night in NYC, when Glenn steps into Victoria’s Uber, the course of both their lives will change in an instant.
Right from the get go, what I deeply appreciated about Middle of the World was that other than the sole white actor, this is a massively heavy global majority cast play that is not about racial and cultural identity. But it is not a color blind play as the ethnicity of the characters are not overlooked and all play an important factor in this story. Whether it’s Victoria (Cheryl Umaña) as the disgraced former president of Ecuador, Glenn Joyner (Christian Telesmar) as the ambitious finance consultant, Warren Lim (Dan Lin) as Glenn’s cocky best friend and co-worker, and Bob Gonzalez (Leandro Cano) as the unsettling U.S. government stooge, these characters live and breathe in this play with all their glory and contradictions. They are not defined by their ethnicity and at the same time, it is not ignored either.
The acting from the entire ensemble cast is truly outstanding with not a single weak link. From the aforementioned Cheryl Umaña and Christian Telesmar who anchors the play with their charm and vulnerability, the supporting cast all get their memorable moments to shine. Dan Lin completely knocks it out of the park in making his douchey finance bro character not only likeable but sympathetic in a truly touching monologue that gives layers in a singular key scene. Leandro Cano just oozes menace, charm, and the fake genuineness that is absolutely perfect for the U.S. government stooge that makes you fear & hate him immensely at the same time. There are certain things that his character says that I could not help but think about our immediate current times and how the U.S. government plays a factor in distorting benevolence with colonialism. And last but not least, Jennifer Pollono is utterly delightful as Barbara Blanchard, Victoria’s pro-bono lawyer who has her own ambition of returning back to the U.S. congress lobbyist days. Pollono also deliciously steals the scene every time she plays a wordless incidental character.
“The central relationship in this story came to me as I was thinking about the intimacy of two people from radically different walks of life, coming together in a moving vehicle while stuck in traffic. Often times, we’re surprised by what we learn. How many stories have we heard about the Uber driver who used to be an engineer in Belarus, a surgeon in Cuba, or the CTO of a pharmaceutical company who now drives just for fun. The character of Victoria is based on an amalgamation of three well known South American women who had to fight incredible odds in chauvinistic cultures to gain a voice in their own governments and eventually make it to the top. And yet in the US we have failed to elect a female president.”
Playwright Juan José Alfonso
The comradery between Victoria and Glenn is the most wonderful aspect about this play and my very few gripes, if I have any, is that I wished their relationship remained platonic as I think it would have been just as strong if we see a story of two people in vastly different worlds forge a unique friendship. But so many major events that occur throughout the play is dependent on this kindled love, which also leads to my other criticism that if a particular business meeting was THAT important to our lead Glenn, he would have at least checked his phone maybe a few times in the two days that he was completely in bliss with Victoria. In this day and age, I do find it hard to believe that folks who live and work in fast paced environments would simply not look at their phones at all for TWO DAYS unless it was taken from them or they lived in an area with absolutely no mobile signal and no wi-fi. Also, in this day and age, nobody could recognize Victoria as their Uber driver until Christian came along?
Despite my very minor gripes about storytelling and plot devices, Middle of the World is a stellar example of Los Angeles theatre that not only utilizes diversity in its most effective format but excels in its storytelling, directing, acting, and production. Go watch it ASAP.
WHAT: “Middle of the World”
Written by Juan José Alfonso
Directed by Guillermo Cienfuegos
Produced by: John Perrin Flynn, Justin Okin, Ramón Valdez (A Rogue Machine Production)
Associate Producer: Jeanette Srinivasan and Rebecca Larsen
WHERE: ROGUE MACHINE (in the Matrix Theatre)
7657 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046
(Street parking)
WHEN: Previews Jan 20, 21, 24, 25
Run time is approximately 95 minutes (no intermission)
Opening: 8pm on Saturday, January 27, 2023
8pm Fridays, Saturdays, Mondays, 3pm Sundays
(no performances on January 29, February 12, March 1)
Closing: March 4, 2023
HOW: For reservations call 855-585-5185 or https://www.roguemachinetheatre.org/
HOW MUCH: Previews $25
General Seating: $45
Seniors: $35
Students with ID and children under 18: $25
Pay-What-You-Can Fridays: Feb. 2 (10+), Feb. 9, 16 ($15+), Feb. 23 ($20+)