A Mesmerizing Coming of Age Story
Rodolfo Morales
Jorge Ignacio Cortiñas’s play “Blind Mouth Singing,” performed by the National Asian American Theater Company is a coming of age story that all audiences can relate to. Performed at the Baruch Performing Arts Center and directed by Ruben Polendo, Cortiñas’s play focuses on a family filled with conflicts that plague all the family members. First comes Reiderico (Jon Norman Schneider), a timid young boy who seems to be intimidated and pushed around by his family, then Lucero (Alexis Camins), his similar-looking friend and confidant who lives in the family well. Next is Gordi (Orville Mendoza), Reiderico’s large brother who picks on him and tries to use him in his schemes, and their controlling mother (Mia Katigbak). Finally there is the boys’ aunt (portrayed by Sue Jean Kim), who goes to market and secretly treats men plagued by syphilis.
The play begins with the presence of an oncoming storm, which not only symbolizes the literal disaster on its way, but also foreshadows what lies ahead for this family. The family must prepare for the coming storm by boarding up the windows of the house, and accomplishing this task shows the creator’s creative use of the theater, for doing so implicates the actors boarding up sheets of wood to the floor. However, this is not the only conflict affecting the household. Reiderico constantly goes out to the well to talk to his friend Lucero who supposedly lives in the well, and this greatly troubles his controlling mother. At the same time, Gordi physically abuses his poor brother, using his great size and strength to overpower him and beat him into submission. Gordi’s desire is for Reiderico to distract their mother so that he may steal some cigars so that he may take up smoking to then quit it. The aunt is not free from turmoil either. She goes to market to secretly work as a sort of doctor for patients with syphilis, veiling herself and hiding behind the name “the Spinster of Calcutta.”
Throughout all these problems, Reiderico continually goes back to the well to find solace with his friend Lucero, who reflects all the qualities that Reiderico lacks in reality; confidence, courage, strength, and the valor to stand up for himself. In the middle of the play, Reiderico and Lucero switch places so that Lucero may help fix the problems that are affecting the family. This switch represents Reiderico’s coming of age, his transition from a child to a young adult that can deal with his problems. However, at the end of the play it is exposed that you cannot merely run away from these childhood problems, for if you do they shall plague you for the rest of your life.
There is a brilliant use of the Baruch stage throughout this play. Instead of having a large hole in the middle of the stage to represent the well, there is a long rectangular pool a few inches deep that represents the well. Not only does this allow theatergoers to see fully and clearly the interaction between Reiderico and Lucero that go on in the well, but it also serves as a symbol that demonstrates the long path of change for all the characters. Another very interesting element of the stage is the large fan placed in the back of it. This fan’s motion is able to create the sensation of a storm by the movement of the propellers, and also serves as a means to set the pace of the play. When one of the characters is killed, the fan stops, as if to symbolize a pause in the play. Lighting also plays an important facet in changing the mood of the play. Once again, when one of the characters died, along with the fan stopping, a red light flashed bright red in the background, representing the spilt blood.
If there is one fault in this play, it is the fact that it feels long and drawn out. The pace of the play is extremely slow, at times painfully so, and with no music in the background aside from a man clanking away at metal on a microphone as sound effects, there is not much to keep the viewers from noticing the deathly silence of the theater as actors pause between lines. However, the actors play their parts well, and at times when the action is a bit more fast paced, as when Gordi is conversing with Reinaldo passing along his twisted wisdom, the play is very enjoyable. Overall, theatergoers will enjoy this play for its ability to transcend cultural barriers, for all can relate to the conflicts of this family on individual levels.