A Los Angeles Theatre Review: ‘American Mariachi’

There’s always been a persistent belief that if you want to watch good theatre, it’s all in New York. This particular narrow-minded belief has always been annoying to me because Los Angeles is a unique entity that is thoroughly distinct in all its rich and fantastic ways with so many astounding global majority talent to tell its stories. Such was on my mind after watching American Mariachi at the Latino Theater Company, the second out of the three consecutive plays the company is launching for their 2024 season.

Written by José Cruz González, directed by Jose Luis Valenzuela and featuring an on-stage mariachi band (original arrangements by music director Cynthia Reifler Flores), American Mariachi is a sheer delight in celebrating the true meaning of mariachi and a reminder that Los Angeles theatre cannot be denied or ignored.

American Mariachi… is a big-hearted, feel-good comedy with live music about familia, amor and tradición. It’s the 1970s and women can’t be mariachis…or can they? Lucha spends her days caring for her mother and yearning for more. Defying expectations, Lucha and her spunky cousin hunt for bandmates and take up instruments. A loving gesture for a mother becomes much more as the young women dream big and embrace the transcendent power of music.

** All pictures taken by Grettel Cortes Photography **

*Elia Saldana, Sal López, Ruth Livier,* *Esperanza América and Geoffrey Rivas*

One of the most successful tasks American Mariachi accomplishes is that for anyone who is unfamiliar with what mariachi music really is other than what they see in birthday parties and street performances, this play does a fantastic job in delving into the heart and soul of why this tradition is so invaluable. This is made possible by the incredible arrangements made by the music director Cynthia Reifler Flores and the mariachi performers Luis Bernal, Manhe Martinez, Oscar Rivas, Joseph Ruvalcava, and Juan Miguel Sossa Ropain. Music is as much of a character as it is with the rest of the ensemble cast and so it is here that they most deservedly get a shoutout.

*Geoffrey Rivas, Sal López,* *Yalitza “Yaya” Vasquez-Lopez, and Mariachis*

The large ensemble cast does a wonderful job in bringing this play to life with Esperanza América, Vaneza Mari Calderón, Alicia Coca, Fidel Gómez, Crissy Guerrero, Ruth Livier, Sal López, Geoffrey Rivas, Elia Saldaña, and Yalitza “Yaya” Vasquez-Lopez. Particular highlights belonged to Alicia Coca and Crissy Guerrero who knocked it out of the park with their jaw-dropping vocals and hilarious comedic timing respectively.

*Manhe Martínez, Crissy Guerrero,* *Vaneza Mari Calderón, Alicia Coca*, *Joseph Ruvalcava and Luis Bernal*

The play delves so much into the idea of forming an all-women mariachi band that one of the things I would nitpick is that we don’t get that complete formation by the end of the play where we see them perform gloriously. I suppose it’s only understandable as the core of the play involves Lucha (Elia Saldaña) trying to fulfill a loving gesture for her mother (Ruth Livier) and the journey of how it all came together. This is only said as there were too many moments about disapproving men and a misunderstood love triangle that I wanted to yell out “enough with the men! Shoo!” There were also too many moments that the play had to heavily remind you it’s about women empowerment as opposed to just letting it be. It’s a common trope I’ve noticed in many films and plays that are about women where writers use too reliable feel-good empowerment lines to elicit a hurrah from the audience when it would have been more powerful to just show the empowerment happening.

Not that its effects are lost in the audience as many ate it up completely with much uproarious applause and responses so it is easy to see why this storytelling trope is used often. The other criticism I have is that when it came to a few of the comedy scenes, it more often than not felt pushed and interfered with the flow of the story to get some laughs. This was reflected in the acting and writing choices as the delivery was really pushed to an unnatural degree that would take me out of it in various moments. But when it came to delivering the drama and heart of the play, and the loss of not only one’s mother forgetting everyone but the mother itself, American Mariachi absolutely makes the final landing with grace and gravitas. This is where the play truly shined as it delivered a heart-wrenching and fantastic finish that left me cheering and weeping at the same time.

*Ruth Livier and Yalitza “Yaya” Vasquez-Lopez*

With a few criticisms aside, American Mariachi is an American experience that cannot be ignored or missed. It is an important work of art that deserves a continuous life in all the stages that highlight and celebrate Latino talent and culture and in the end, that is my biggest takeaway from this work. To end this review, I’ll leave with the thought that while I normally hate sequels, I would not be opposed whatsoever if we saw continuing adventures of Lucha’s mariachi band on tour and have it just be about that!

*Elia Saldana, Vaneza Mari Calderón,* *and Esperanza América*

AMERICAN MARIACHI
• Written by José Cruz González
• Original music arrangements and music director: Cynthia Reifler Flores
• Directed Jose Luis Valenzuela
• Starring Esperanza América, Vaneza Mari Calderón, Alicia Coca, Fidel Gómez, Crissy Guerrero, Ruth Livier, Sal López, Geoffrey Rivas, Elia Saldaña, Yalitza “Yaya” Vasquez-Lopez
• Produced by Latino Theater Company

WHEN:
Previews: May 2–May 10
Performances: May 11–June 9
• Thursdays at 8 p.m.: May 2, May 9 (previews); May 16; May 23; May 30; June 6
• Fridays at 8 p.m.: May 3, May 10 (previews); May 17; May 24; May 31; June 7
• Saturdays at 8 p.m.: May 11 (opening); May 18; May 25; June 1; June 8 (dark May 4)
• Sundays at 4 p.m.: May 5 (preview); May 12; May 19; May 26; June 2; June 9

WHERE:
The Los Angeles Theatre Center
514 S. Spring Street
Los Angeles CA 90013

PARKING:
• $8 with box office validation at Los Angeles Garage Associate Parking structure, 545 S. Main St., Los Angeles, CA 90013 (between 5th and 6th Streets, just behind the theater)
• Metered parking available on streets surrounding the theater.
• Take the Metro: nearest stop is Pershing Square (two blocks west of The LATC)

TICKET PRICES:
$10-$48 (except opening night)
• Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (except opening night, May 11): $48
• Students, Seniors, Veterans and LAUSD teachers: $20 with valid ID
• All Thursday night performances and previews: $10
• Opening night (May 11): $75 (includes post-performance reception)