In a Hallmark or La Rosa de Guadalupe style, ¡Pasaje! brings a story of identity and self-discovery to the stage. Playwright J Quiroz sets the characters and story in South El Monte.
18-year-old Andy (Seth Keller) was raised by his single mom Angela (Sandra Dar) in Flagstaff, Arizona. Angela has never told him anything about his father. Believing they’re White, Andy decides to find out who his father is. Finding a letter and an address, Andy ends up in South El Monte, California, where he comes across a series of peculiar characters that help him find and embrace his newfound relatives and identity, once the family secrets are revealed.
The musical deals with topics of race, identity, and culture assimilation. Marcelina (Ixchel Valiente), Andy’s love interest, explains the discrimination she experienced when trying to become a ballerina. Hustlers Uno (Karol Avila) and Dos (Daniel Moises) pull tricks on people to survive, although their surprising goals are revealed at the end. Don Miguel (Joshua Duron) turns out to be the piece that links Andy to his past.
¡Pasaje! is a developmental work, so it’s a musical that still needs some work. The imagery, the costumes, and some of the attitudes exhibited by the Hustlers and Huicho (Noah Peralta) come off as trite and derogatory, especially for an educated Latino or Hispanic audience—the play also mentions the controversy around which term is the accurate one.
The musical might divide opinions in its current form. For a non-Latino audience, we’ll use Latino for simplicity, the production might seem like a light comedy with a happy ending. For a Latino audience, however, the story might be just another production with the never-ending stereotypes, although with some positive depictions: Angela is a lawyer, Marcelina doesn’t give up, and the Hustlers are not simple thugs.
Director Benjamin Perez works with what he has available and tries to present a positive message. Again, this is a developmental work, so is expected to have some flaws. The tense situations have a quick resolution without much conflict, like when Huicho and Freddy (Maximiliano Garcia) are arrested. Such scenes require more elaboration to get the audience invested in the characters and their perils. According to the information provided, the musical is on its way to Broadway. With this in mind, it is understood that J Quiroz will go back to the drawing board and rework the details. The intention is honest, and bringing South El Monte to Broadway would be a phenomenal achievement, so depicting a relegated community in a more developed manner will be far more meaningful and have a greater impact for sure.
¡Pasaje!
Sierra Madre Playhouse
87 W Sierra Madre Blvd
Sierra Madre, CA 91024
October 4, 2024 – November 3, 2024
Tickets: sierramadreplayhouse.org
Written by J Quiroz. Music by Asdru Sierra. Directed by Benjamin Perez. Music director is Greg Porée.
Cast: Itzel Ximena Gonzalez, Lisa Rodriguez, Andrew M. Garcia, Sandra Dar, Ixchel Valiente, Seth Keller, Joshua Duron, Maximiliano Garcia, Daniel Moises, Karol Avila, Luzma Ortiz, Pablo Milla, and Noah Peralta.
Creative team: Choreographer is Tania Possick. Costume Designer is Diana Gomez. Set Designer is Tiffany Anguiano. Lighting Designer is Grace Berry. Script Doctor is Alex Luu. Vocal Director is Rae Shrum.
Band: Greg Porée (guitar), Joey Navarro (keys), Adan Alonso (bass).
