A long drive up to Gloucester Stage Company on a sunny Sunday was capped off by a smart, sweet piece of theater: THE HOMBRES by Tony Meneses, a co-presentation by Gloucester Stage and Teatro Chelsea. The play which closes out Gloucester’s 45th season is a regional premiere as part of National Hispanic Heritage month. While not flawless, THE HOMBRES tackles sensitive issues around male identity, sexual preference, and cultural stereotyping in a serious but funny and open-hearted way.
Machismo meets the mat when three Latino construction workers become unexpectedly involved with the yoga studio next door. That premise could have easily devolved into embarrassing comedic schtick. But this play has something more serious on its mind. What follows is an exercise in cross cultural dramedy– these hombres come to grips with some of the toughest questions of their lives: what it means to be a man, how to express friendship as men, and, dare I say it– love each other in a variety of unexpected situations which test these macho men to the core. This cast takes us by the hand and shows us the way when it is not at all clear exactly where we are headed– even if we think we know. There were surprises.
The play begins in a quiet, peaceful way. Julian the yoga instructor played with enormous grace and compassion by Ricardo “Ricky” Holguin is sitting center stage on a yoga mat meditating. He has just finished or is about to start a yoga class. I immediately wanted to sign up. Julian is gay and his class is all women, except for one ostensibly straight man, Miles, well-played by Patrick O’Konis. Outside and watching from high above the studio are three hardhat-wearing amigos: the burly silent Hector played with fearsome focus by Arthur Gomez, mild-mannered Pedro played by Luis Negron, and the swaggering young hotshot Beto perfectly played by Jaime Jose Hernandez.
The set is simple, transitioning between the yoga studio and the building site. I would have preferred they had avoided the tedious moving of the scaffolding back and forth to center stage between scenes. And the clothes worn by these down and dirty construction workers should look more lived in. Beto’s construction boots– top and bottom– looked like they had just arrived fresh from Amazon.
One day Hector casually wanders into the yoga studio to take a class which sets off suspicions amongst his co-workers who detect something different about him. When they find out where he’s been, it triggers a chain reaction which challenges everyone’s– including the audience’s– pre-conceptions about who they are, who they think they are, and who they might become, including Julian whose studio becomes a crucible of transformation. The baggage these characters carry is unlocked and what tumbles out is explosive, surprising, and unlocks deeper issues each of them must confront.
Director Armando Rivera deftly guides the tone from the humorous banter of pals in the workplace to the anger, sadness, and violence which suddenly erupts between them. I seldom say this, but the play could have been longer! I wish these characters were more fleshed out with an eye to the complexity of the profound emotional and behavioral changes afoot. As the play hurtles toward a conclusion, it wisely slows down again for us to take a deep breath. In a final, lovely scene, we are back on the mat with Julian, center stage and centered, all of us with our heads and hearts together in the right place.
SEE “THE HOMBRES” at GLOUCESTER STAGE through September 29!
