Culture lives in streets and homes and daily routines, but it shines in creative expression: literature, visual art, music, dance, gastronomy, theater. Last weekend’s musical Esperanza: el Musical at the Teatro Nacional was one such experience – a slice of pure Dominican culture.
The Story: Childhood sweethearts Manuel and Esperanza are separated when Esperanza’s family moves to the city in search of a better life. Years later and all grown up, Manuel leaves the countryside to find his cousin, (supposedly) a successful businessman in the city who will surely be able to help Manuel with his fledgling career as a musician. Turns out his cousin is a poor tire salesman in a run-down barrio. But who should live nearby? You guessed it – Manuel’s long-lost-but-never-forgotten love, Esperanza. But the sentimental reunion is dampered by the fact that Esperanza is to leave the very next day to pursue her dream – three years of university in New York City. Tension builds. Relationships are strained. What becomes of these star-crossed lovers? You’ll have to see it for yourself!
The story isn’t nearly as profound as, say, Les Miserables, but dilemmas presented are very Dominican. The dream of a better life. The dream of making it to America. The dream of success and fame. The dream of love.
In the barrio.
The Characters: Aside from the main characters, the rest of the cast are as typical as it gets, stereotypes of the people you encounter in everyday Dominican life.
El Colmadero: Sporting his flashy diamond earrings and Lakers jersey, he runs the local colmado (bar/corner store). He’s a man of the streets, a joker, a smooth operater, and he knows everyone.
Shawn the Gringo: The American…nerdy, awkward, bad accent, can’t dance, he runs the local internet café. In love with Esperanza but doesn’t realize he doesn’t have a chance.
The Bodacious Dominicana: Loud, plump, flirty and forward, she wants an American lover so she can get a visa for the States.
La China: Grouchy Chinese immigrant who runs the local dry cleaners. Easily identifiable by her slumped posture and shuffle/walk, she’ll occasionally surprise you with a joke and a high, whiny laugh.
The Rich Girl: Shows up when her SUV gets a flat tire. Lives vicariously through her BlackBerry (I can attest, this is very typical here) and her fashion sense.
El Frutero: Sells fruit from his pushcart, he’s a passive character who observes everything in the barrio and offers his philosophical insights to the audience.
The Music: It´s hard to imagine that one man’s music could literally be universally loved by a country, yet Juan Luis Guerra has achieved just that. Quite literally, every Dominican knows and loves his music. He has so many hits that you could turn them into the soundtrack for a musical. And that’s exactly what they did.
You see, Esperanza is based entirely on the music of Juan Luis Guerra. Every song. Spicy salsa, movin’ merengue, beautiful bachata ballads, and everything in between. Guerra, born in Santo Domingo and trained at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, is a master of Latin music and has achieved huge success in the Latino world. His songs are a celebration of Dominican life. Here’s one that made it into the musical:
The Dancing: It wouldn’t be Dominican if it didn’t make you want to dance!
All in all, a very cool It was quite fitting to go out for typical Dominican food at Adrian Tropical afterwards. Dominican experience! A special thanks to mis amigos Angie and Krudo for bringing me along!
More Links:
- NYTimes music review of Juan Luis Guerra
- Guerra talks about his life and faith in Christ in this video (Spanish)
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