Whittier Boulevard: A Los Angeles Even More Dystopian
Twenty years down the road, the social fabric is coming apart in a Los Angeles battered by storms, fires, and general anarchy. Drastic measures are called for in what has become a totalitarian state, including death penalties for drug use and homosexuality. And any unmarried person who reaches 75 will be put to death as well.
Such is the grim world put before us in “Whittier Boulevard,” now presented by the Latino Theatre Company, written and performed by the company’s founders: Evelina Fernandez, Sal Lopez, Geoffrey Rivas, and Lucy Rodriguez, with director Jose Luis Valenzuela.
Veronica Del Rio, a once glamorous Chicana star played by Evelina Fernandez—think Gloria Swanson in “Sunset Boulevard”—is approaching that fateful 75th birthday. Though unmarried and at peril, she persists in resisting proposals of marriage from her long-time suitor and failed poet, Pablo, played by Sal Lopez.
Her exasperated, loud-mouthed nurse Pilar (Lucy Rodriguez) tries to talk sense into her charge, especially when a police officer—Roger, played by Geoffrey Rivas—arrives looking for miscreants to whisk away to their final reward.
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So, will Veronica take the sensible step of marriage, never mind that she doesn’t love Pablo? And why would she not? And will Roger, her biggest fan, actually take her away?
For such a grim scenario, “Whittier Boulevard” is told with great good humor, with the actors playing their parts larger than life, in what might be called Chicano film noir.
Especially notable is the dramatic stagecraft, with multimedia effects heightening the mix of comedy and dark satire that underscore the ominous future envisioned.
“Whittier Boulevard” plays April 20 to May 28, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m. Latino Theater Company at Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring St. Los Angeles.
The opinions expressed here are solely the author's and do not reflect the opinions or beliefs of the Hollywood Progressive.
