Latino Theater Company and Playwrights’ Arena present epic Mix-Mix: The Filipino Adventures of a German Jewish Boy. Written by Boni B. Alvarez. Directed by Jon Lawrence Rivera. Lead producer Olga Garay–English. Produced by Latino Theater Company and Playwrights’ Arena.
Thanks to the generosity of president Manuel L. Quezon, 1,300 European Jews entered the Philippines as refugees during WWII. By issuing Proclamation No. 173 on August 21, 1937, President Quezon encouraged Filipinos to welcome the refugees and instructed government officials to assist them.
Mix-Mix: The Filipino Adventures of a German Jewish Boy tells the story of Rudolph “Rudy” J. Preiss (Casey J. Adler), one of the German Jew refugees that lived in the Philippines. As one of those ironies of life, the Preiss family escapes the Nazi persecution in Germany only to find another persecution in the Philippines, this time in the hands of the brutal Japanese army. Along with his father Isaac (Mark Doerr), his mother Lena (Jill Remez, Deathtrap), and others, Rudy had to run to the mountains and hide from the Japanese.
The story is told from the perspective of a young Rudy and his two Filipino friends Zar (Alexis Camins) and Mousie (Angelita Esperanza), all around the same age. In the middle of the jungle and surviving bombardments, the three kids symbolize the union of the Jewish and Filipino cultures.
To depict the walking through the mountains, Playwright Boni B. Alvarez and Director Jon Lawrence Rivera used dance movements. To depict Mousie’s frustration after the death of her mother Dorna (Myra Cris Ocenar), a choreographed martial arts sequence ensues between Mousie and her father Ramil (Kennedy Kabasares). Other creative elements used to tell the story are projection for the flashbacks and lighting effects for the rain and the bombardments.
Rudy tells stories to his Filipino friends to recount his life back in Germany, his life in the Philippines as a chaperone to movie star Paloma Palma (Giselle “G” Tongi), and his dream of becoming an engineer in America attending MIT.
The performances feel a bit overacted at times, but in general, the play is entertaining and has moving moments that reveal how humans need each other to survive. Rudy and his friends become adults under extreme circumstances, and telling stories to each other is one of the ways to keep their sanity and innocence intact. One of the highlights of the play is the Jewish and Catholic prayers and their comforting effect when everything else seems lost. In general, the pacing of the play and the comedy keep the audience engaged till the end.
As a side note, the real Rudy left Germany at age 9 and left the Philippines at age 19 to study at MIT in the US. His parents stayed in the Philippines for 30 years.
The Los Angeles Theatre Center
514 S. Spring Street
Los Angeles CA 90013
Performances: May 18–June 16
• Thursdays at 8 p.m.: May 30; June 6; June 13
• Fridays at 8 p.m.: May 24; May 31; June 7; June 14
• Saturdays at 8 p.m.: May 18 (opening); May 25; June 1; June 8; June 15
• Sundays at 4 p.m.: May 26; June 2; June 9; June 16
Tickets: latinotheaterco.org
Written by Boni B. Alvarez. Directed by Jon Lawrence Rivera. Lead producer Olga Garay–English. Produced by Latino Theater Company and Playwrights’ Arena.
Cast: Casey J. Adler, Alexis Camins, Mark Doerr, Angelita Esperanza, Kennedy Kabasares, Myra Cris Ocenar, Jill Remez, Giselle “G” Tongi, Mark McClain Wilson.
Creative team: Choreography by Reggie Lee and fight choreography by Alvin Catacutan. The scenic designer is Christopher Scott Murillo; lighting design is by Azra King-Abadi; sound design is by Jesse Mandapat; video design is by Nick Santiago; costume design is by Mylette Nora; and the prop master is Lily Bartenstein. The stage management team includes production stage manager Letitia Chang, assistant stage manager Sam Pribyl and wardrobe assistant Manee Leija.
