The Main Street Players’ latest show tackles the traumas and travails of an exiled Cuban and the family he returns to in “Exilios.”
Directed by Danny Nieves and written by Yerandy Fleites Pérez, the show is performed in Spanish.
It takes place in present day Cuba and tells the story of Evaristo, a gay man who was forced to leave the country during the 1980 Mariel Boatlift.
When we meet Evaristo, played by Steven Salgado, he is sick and not the vibrant young man he was when he began a new life in America.
The story tells of his return home to die from AIDS. His presence during the course of the play is slowly diminished, a metaphor to what the disease is doing to his body.
By the end of the play, only his voice is heard from off stage.
Evaristo reunites with his sister Piedad, played by Tamara Melián.
Piedad is married to Adán, played by Francisco Porras.
Adán is “por el Partido,” or for the Communist Party and he has spent his life serving the Cuban government.
Their son Dago, played by Isamael Salcedo Alarcón, is the tale’s narrator.
Audiences meet Salcedo Alarcon when he delivers Dago’s powerful opening monologue. His character is of the middle generation that has grown up in the regime and is visibly tired by the lack of opportunities.
The story touches on perspectives from multiple generations: Those who came up at the start of the revolution, the exiled and the young people, who all mingle together in this plot.
The Piedad character is familiar to anyone who grew up with Cuban women in their lives. The way she dresses and her well-known Cuban sayings feel authentic. Porras’ Adán is a very traditional male who tries to dictate goings on in the house.
The Dago role has a dual purpose: He is a serious character who fills in plot points while also providing comedic relief during some of the drama’s tense moments.
Salcedo Alacrón and Porras have a great scene early in Act 1, when the husband and wife go back and forth saying “Que?” [What?] to each other that is sure to draw laughs.
Another scene of note is when Porras describes his disdain for Evaristo as the ill man sleeps. It is a monologue that gives insight to that character, who can’t stand to be near his brother-in-law.
The heart of the show is the siblings’ reunion after 40 years. They share a great scene in Act 1, when as she shaves him, they discuss politics, the differences in their lives and reminisce about their childhoods and playing in the Cuba that was.
Unchanged then and now: Fear of repercussions for political resistance.
That is personified by a visit from Teniente Demetrio, well played by Nancy Garcia as a military officer who interrogates Evaristo. Political muscle will continue to intrude upon the family and the audience eventually learns why Evaristo was exiled in the first place.
In a puzzling scene that may be a flashback for the dying man, we meet Amador, played by Steven Guez. The men play off each other well, even if the scene is hard to follow.
After building to the climax of Evaristo’s passing, the show ends on a lighter note.
For this Cuban-American reviewer, the story feels like it could be set in any South Florida living room that is filled with people we grew up with.
“Exilios” runs through August 13. The show is 120 minutes, with a 15-minute intermission.
The Main Street Playhouse, 6812 Main St., has an 8 p.m. curtain Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. on Sunday.
General admission is $30; $25 for students, seniors and military. To purchase tickets online, visit www.mainstreetplayers.com.