Many dramatic dilemmas make for good theater. Numerous quality theatrical pieces have been written on subjects such as infidelity, unrequited love, suicide, domestic violence or broken hearts. The main problem with José Riviera's "Boleros for the Disenchanted," playing through Nov. 15 at the Wimberly Theatre, is that it is a theatrical piece that attempts to deal with all of these subjects in one production.
"Boleros" is the sentimental tale of a marriage between two young people in Puerto Rico and details their struggle to handle the problems that come with moving to America -- infidelity, old age and deteriorating health -- with an enduring love.
Though nearly every scene involves tears of anger or sadness, Riviera is careful to exploit every opportunity for a laugh. This method of finding the humor in even the most humorless scenarios is at times a welcome relief, but at often seems almost inappropriate.
For example, one scene, when the main character, Flora (played very emotionally by Monica Raymund) is slapped by her drunk father (Jaime Tirelli), introduces a very serious theme. Three minutes later, Tirelli is lying on the ground, shouting about castrating the man who has been unfaithful to his daughter, and the audience laughs at his antics, while all gravity attached to the earlier violence seems to disappear. There is a disjointed feeling to the flow of the production that quickly becomes frustrating.
Though the writing is the leading cause of this disconnect, the direction fails to extend a hand of believability to the audience. Chay Yew's direction has young Flora in a constant state of picturesque distress as she runs into the night in a flowing gown, delicately leans her head against a column and sits in a dignified, haughty profile. Though it appears that the first act in Puerto Rico is mainly based on nostalgia for the couple's youth, after an hour and a half of watching a young woman wrinkle her brow and tilt a quivering chin, the audience is no longer able to relate to the situation.
That being said, the premise of the show is actually very interesting. The first act is a flashback to a young, impulsive couple in Puerto Rico, while the second act shows the couple in their later years living a humble life in America.
Alexander Dodge's innovative set and Paul Whitaker's beautiful lighting make the show pleasant to watch. Without being "too much," the stylized Puerto Rican foliage and Alabama power lines lend an appropriate background to the slightly dream-like goings-on onstage.
Rivera's wry humor is, at times, put into play very successfully as well. When Flora's fiancé, Manuelo (Juan Javier Cardenas) is confronted by Flora for his infidelities, he gives a long, hilarious speech about how difficult it is to be a man and how God, "in his infinite flexibility," has created certain women to fulfill man's urges. Here, the humor is successful because the characters appear find his speech as ridiculous as it sounds to the audience. Other times, such as when Flora's mother threatens Manuelo with a garden trowel, the humor falls flat. The mother's rage is sudden and fleeting, but she is still taken very seriously by the other characters, a contradiction that leaves viewers feeling confused rather than amused.
There are many enjoyable points in the production -- the transitions between scenes showing time elapse with poignant pantomime are particularly striking -- but on the whole, the performance falls flat. The show attempts to reconcile too many plot twists and emotions into one production, and it ends up merely overloading the audience.
