Nelson Castro (John Leguizamo), the family’s patriarch, in a joyful moment with his wife Patti (Luna Lauren Velez), in Leguizamo’s tragedy The Other Americans.
John Leguizamo’s The Other Americans, now playing at the Public Theater, depicts not a melting pot of cultures, all successfully rising to the top, but rather the isolation and obstacles of the immigrant’s reach for a piece of the American pie.
The play opens with the Castro family crowded together in their living room. They are waiting for Nick (Trey Santiago-Hudson) to return from a mental health facility where he went after a breakdown during college. The weather threatens to ruin the party set up in the yard, and Nelson (John Leguizamo), the patriarch of the family, is nursing drink after drink to take the edge off.
Nick Castro (Trey Santiago-Hudson) struggles to accept his mother’s love and support while also feeling smothered by it.
Nelson, the proud son of Columbian immigrants, owns several laundromats (he calls them “matts”) that he inherited from his father. As a mark of upward mobility, he moved his family from Jackson Heights, a “ghetto,” to the affluent neighborhood of Forest Hills. Acquiring a big house, in a nice neighborhood, with good schools, is Nelson’s American Dream fulfilled.
As part of this dream, Nelson has installed an aboveground pool for his son: Nick is a former high school swim champion, and Nelson thinks that swimming will help Nick get better. When Nick sees the pool, he muses: “How am I supposed to do laps in a round pool?”
The fishbowl effect is furthered when Nick’s parents set upon him with their plans: his mother, Patti (Luna Lauren Velez), wants him to go back to school, while Nelson wants him to come work for him. But Nick is miles away from his Columbian roots now. He’s come home more American—a vegetarian and a Buddhist—much to the dismay and confusion of his parents.
The play is performed in a mix of Spanish and English, and Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s neat and compact direction keeps the action moving, never letting the audience miss a beat. Actors move fluently around each other on the small stage expertly designed by Arnulfo Maldonado. Kara Harmon’s costumes are notable for the women’s bold and colorful prints and the men’s tasteful suits and sportswear. Jen Schriever’s lighting design is effective in creating contrasts. The much talked about pool is elevated upstage and bathed in a foreboding cold light.
Nelson in an uncharacteristically reflective moment, while he reckons with the train wreck that is his life. Photos by Joan Marcus.
Leguizamo, known for his solo shows (Freak, Latin History for Morons) and for on-screen roles as a baddie (Carlito’s Way, Bloodline), is wiry and agile. He moves around the stage like a hungry panther ready to pounce, or dance, depending on his mood. While he’s the most famous actor in the cast, the talent of the others is on par and keeps the production buoyant.
The play, though a tragedy, is punctuated with humor, and one funny moment surfaces when Nick’s sister Toni (Rebecca Jimenez) is planning a wedding, which she discusses with her aunt Norma (Rosa Evangelina Arredondo) and neighbor Veronica (Sarah Nina Hayon), who both call out Toni’s past interest in bad boys.
Veronica: It’s always los good looking ones that are such jerks.
Toni: Por eso is why I’m gonna marry me an ugly one. They always try harder…
Nomra: Because they have to…
They collapse in laughter, but her fiancé, Eddie (the handsome Bradley James Tejeda), is responsible and committed.
Although the family home appears warm and cozy, Nelson is hot and blustery, like a hurricane that brings too much force, leaving him at odds with everyone. He needs money—he’s made some bad business choices, and the mental health facility where Nick received care was expensive. When Norma refuses to lend him any more money, he claims that he can’t get a loan because his name’s “Castro not McMann.”
On the cusp of marriage, Eddie (Bradley James Tejeda) and Toni (Rebecca Jimenez) share a moment of laughter.
Norma: Oh god, you can’t blame them. It’s not cause you’re Columbian it’s cause you’re a liability. Over and over with your losing propositions. You’re like that Greek guy Sisyphus.
Nelson: Sissyphus? Sissyphus who? What is he from Astoria?
Norma: No, you mook. The Ancient guy that had to roll the rock up the mountain, but it rolled back down on him. Time after time. Cause he never learned either.
Nelson is incensed: “Well, whoever the fuck that is—that’s not me. Ok? Because see what it was, was that I was just too ahead of my time. So now instead of yuppifying the matts, I’ma wait for the yuppies to come to me. And then boom bap!”
Nelson’s fixation on making money for the sake of his family is reminiscent of Arthur Miller’s most famous characters, Willy Loman and Joe Keller, who believe upward mobility is the only mark of success, and that everything they do is for their family. Even when it tears the family apart.
The Other Americans runs through October 26 at The Public Theater (425 Lafayette Street). Evening performances are at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, with matinees at 1:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. For tickets and information, visit publictheater.org.
Playwright: John Leguizamo
Director: Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Scenic Design: Arnulfo Maldonado
Costume Design: Kara Harmon
Lighting Design: Jen Schriever
Sound Design: Justin Ellington
Choreography: Lorna Ventura
