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About
Aired on KSDS-FM on 2/16/18
RUN DATES: 1/26/18 – 2/25/18
VENUE: New Village Arts
The result is cataclysmic when the sun converges withthe moon. Well, not the actual sun and moon – Celestina del Sol and Anibal de la Luna.
In a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, in the midst of the “storm of the century,” Anibal picks up a drenched, pregnant hitchhiker, and brings her home.
Sparks fly. Time stops. The clocks freeze. They “watch the stars scrape across the sky.” They lose track of everything but each other. Only the unexpected entrance of Anibal’s military brother breaks the spell.
Celestina is mysterious, magical. She has no idea “what time feels like.” She doesn’t know her age, claiming to be 54, though she looks 25. She’s been pregnant for two years – and will be pregnant for 40 more.
This is the mystical, lyrical world created by José Rivera in the poetic, gorgeously written “Cloud Tectonics.”
At New Village Arts, Herbert Siguenza, co-founder of Culture Clash and acclaimed actor, writer and visual artist, is making his directing debut. He perfectly captures Rivera’s sometimes bilingual, magical realist sensibility, and the sexy, seductive draw of a timeless connection.
His cast is superb. Jose Balistrieri is the warm-hearted, liberal nice-guy Anibal, always trying to do what’s right. As his macho brother, Nelson, Javier Guerrero is hawkish and pugnacious, even misogynistic. But Celestina has a hypnotic effect on him, too.
Nadia Guevara is stunning as Celestina – childlike but sensual; ethereal and irresistible.
The set features a rainfall, and heaps of plastic sheeting. The bed seems to be suspended in the clouds. The fight choreography is strong. The sound and original music are even stronger.
Past, present and future can collide, just as the fictional cloud formations of the title are ineffable and inexplicable. Love is like that, too.
For 90 minutes, we’re suspended, transported. And reminded to live in and appreciate every moment. To hold onto the ones you love. To let yourself go completely in matters of the heart.
This Valentine’s month, you too can suspend time. Just enter this romantic, melodic dreamworld with your eyes and heart open.
©2018 PAT LAUNER, San Diego Theater Reviews
