For audiences that are looking for a comic look at Miami Latina families and their traditions, you will laugh heartily at the two act comedy “Sweet 15”, written by screenwriter Rick Najera and directed by Jesus Quintero. The play is running now on Saturdays and Sundays only through September 22 at The Hub at Temple Beth Am in Pinecrest.
The play takes a comic look at the quinceanera, a coming out party for a Cuban girl who turns 15. What is funny is not the actual coming out party, but rather the circumstances surrounding the postponement of the quinceanera seven years later than intended.
Sonora (actress Lauren C. Lopez) had her original sweet 15 party ruined by her father Eddy (Rene Lavan), who had to flee town because a gangster was trying to kill Eddy for not paying his gambling debts to him. Seven years later, Eddy learns that the gangster is imprisoned and is free to return to his family.
Eddy’s return home to his family is anything but a sweet reunion. Each member of Eddy’s family takes an angry and comic look at how his family doesn’t need Eddy in their lives anymore, including outbursts from his wife Eva (Melissa Ann Hubicsak), his mother-in-law Chata (Margarita Coego) and Sonora.
Actress Margarita Coego (Chata) in the play “Sweet 15: My Quinceanera”, running now through September 22 at The Hub at Temple Beth Am in Pinecrest.
What provokes the laughter are the clashes between the masculine, dominant macho Eddy who wants to honor the old traditions of his Latina family and Sonora’s desire to be rid of the quinceanera now that she is 22 with plans to marry.
The best scenes that highlight the humor of the family conflict involve Chata, a party girl despite being a senior and Eddy. Chata attacks Eddy with a nonstop series of one liner jokes, poking fun at Eddy’s masculinity and his failure as both a husband and father..
Eddy surrounds himself with a lot of quirky, laughable characters such as Jorge, the event planner (Randy Garcia) and an aging one time telenova star (Ruben Rabasa)..
Each of the characters represents exaggerations of everyone acting as if Sonora was still a young girl of 15 as opposed to being a 22-year-old adult.
The scene involving the aging, telenovela star trying unsuccessfully to sing and look as a young contemporary singer was especially hilarious.
Along with the laughs, the play has some touching moments with lots of sentiment that allows the audience to care for the characters.. Despite her anger for leaving the family for seven years, Eva ponders if Eddy can repair the damage he created for the past seven years. Sonora, despite feeling humiliated for having a quinceanera as an adult, sees the elaborate, zany ways of Eddy as his apology to Sonora for not having her quinceanera when she was 15.
The two act play is entertaining and educational in learning about Miami Latina culture. Other actors in the play who stand out are Roberto Escobar as Eddy’s bodyguard and Michael Ferreiro as Sonora’s fiance.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
“Sweet 15: My Quinceanera” a two act play by Rick Najera, runs each weekend through September 22 at The Hub at Temple Beth Am, 5950 N. Kendall Drive in Pinecrest. Show times are 8 p.m. on Saturdays and 5 p.m. on Sundays. Pre-show cocktails are available one hour before show time. Tickets range from $54-64 and can be purchases at sweet15show.com or by calling 305-667-6667
