Arts & Entertainment
Familial fiction
Aunt’s story re-imagined in poignant ‘Tacna’
Carlos Castillo in ‘La Senorita de Tacna.’ (Photo by Lonnie Tague; courtesy Gala)
‘The Young Lady from Tacna’/ ‘La Señorita de Tacna’
Through March 9
Gala Hispanic Theatre
3333 14th Street, N.W., Columbia Heights
$20-42
202-234-7174
“The Young Lady from Tacna” is a play about creating stories. It’s also about memory, family and mystery-shrouded romance.
Ingeniously constructed by Peru’s Noble laureate Mario Vargas Llosa, the action follows a writer in search of a love story as he moves from his present to a place of memories to an even more distanced place, mostly imagined.
Seldom done in Washington, this poignant yet humorous work (performed in Spanish with English surtitles) is currently playing at GALA Hispanic Theatre in a superb production, adroitly staged by director José Carrasquillo,
Tucked away in his cluttered study (anywhere in the world, 1980), middle-aged writer Belisario struggles to make literature out of the failed great passion of Mamaé, his long-deceased great aunt who died a 100-year-old spinster. He wonders why as a young woman she abruptly ended her engagement to a dashing Chilean officer, opting instead to live her life as a poor but loved relation, dependent on her cousin Carmen’s family for the remainder of her long life. It’s a secret she never revealed.
In his struggle to recreate his aunt’s romance, Belisario relies on memories, time traveling from his study to his grandparents’ house in Lima circa 1950 where Mamaé, despite having already slipped into a screeching dementia, remains a strong force. The once-well off family’s resources are steadily diminishing and Belisario’s mother Amelia is caring for both Mamaé and her elderly parents. In exchange her brother pays her son’s law school tuition — a legal career for Belisario is her dream not his. It won’t happen.
The writer imagines his aunt young again. She springs from her rocking chair; tosses aside the lacey shawl. He sees his aunt with her avid suitor, relieving excitement and disappointment. He creates tales surrounding her cancelled nuptials including a meeting with her betrothed’s formidable mistress and builds stories from fragmented memories like her alleged attachment to an ivory fan and her preference to attend Mass at a modest church in a nearby slum.
Numerous quick changes in time and place are graceful and entirely lucid thanks mostly to talented gay director Carrasquillo. His staging is impeccable. He also elicits memorable performances from an able cast.
Carlos Castillo is terrific as Belisario. A graying and disheveled character is a departure for out actor Castillo who typically plays younger parts. But he gives a nuanced performance — some of his best work to date. As Mamaé, Luz Nicolás is a marvel, seamlessly changing from ancient termagant to proud ingénue and back again. Marian Licha’s Carmen is sure of her place in the world, exuding confidence and kindness. As her husband Pedro, the reliably excellent Hugo Medrano subtly demonstrates the lighter side of decline. His character is slipping into a gentler, sometimes amusing dotage.
Andrea Aranguren is wonderfully versatile as both the other woman and Belisario’s mother. Tim Pabon and Oscar Ceville are respectively convincing as Amelia’s brothers — the harried, responsible Agustin and the passionate but broke Cesar. The playwright creates (and the three players execute) the dynamic of caretaker siblings to the tee. And Victor Maldonado capably adds dimension to the role of the Disney prince-handsome officer.
Giorgos Tsappas’ sloped diagonal set provides a journey for memories turned into tales over times. At the top of the incline sits Mamaé’s rocking chair next to a large bare window. At the opposite lower end is Belisario’s cramped writing space. The back opens to the white trunks of Chekhovian Aspen trees evocatively lit by lighting designer Cory Ryan Frank.
The GALA production is a beautifully rendered take on a somewhat difficult play.
The fourth annual Equality Prince William Pride was held at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas, Va. on Saturday, May 17.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The Washington Blade held its 18th annual Summer Kickoff Party in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on Friday, May 16. Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer spoke along with State Sen. Russ Huxtable, CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Kim Leisey, Blade Editor Kevin Naff, and Clear Space Theatre Managing Director Joe Gfaller. The event raises funds for the Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, which was awarded to AU student Abigail Hatting.
(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)
In some fowl fiction foreshadowing, a gay-owned chicken joint has come home to roost on U Street, taking a page from the chicken window subplot on the HBO show “Looking.”
Last Friday, Lucky Pollo – much more than just a takeout window – stretched its wings atop the busy nightlife corner of 14th and U Streets NW.
Behind the poultry production place is Zach Renovátes, a D.C.-based nightlife operator and managing partner of LGBTQ venues Bunker and District Eagle, as well as the LGBTQ event production company KINETIC Presents.
Renovátes opened Bunker in February 2023 and District Eagle in January of this year. Lucky Pollo is the third in his growing gay empire, though this time there are noshes.
“Lucky Pollo was meant to be fun and a little provocative,” Renovátes said.
Based around its Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, Lucky Pollo is a quick-service restaurant boasting a small menu of poultry and sides. Renovátes says that the dishes are deeply rooted in Peruvian culinary tradition, “a playful experience alongside seriously good food.”
Lucky Pollo’s signature chicken is steeped in a dozen-plus-spice marinade for 24 hours. The meat is then slow-roasted, rotisserie-style, over oak-wood charcoal. Chicken options include quarter, half, and whole.
Helming the kitchen at Lucky Pollo is Chef Luis Herrera, who brings Peruvian recipes passed down through three generations, including his grandmother Laura’s original creations.
Beyond the full bird, the menu features Peruvian-inspired sides like yuca fries (“I personally love these,” says Renovátes) and fried plantains, as well as comfort classics such as mac and cheese and mashed potatoes, and bowls, wraps, and salads. Herrera oversees development of the multiple sauces (including staff favorite, the “secret green sauce”), crafted in-house using traditional Peruvian ingredients.
Lucky Pollo, in its streetside perch, is an independent concept from District Eagle, open to the public and staying open late (3 a.m. on weekends) to serve both nightlife guests and the wider U Street crowd hungry for late-night bites. However, just beyond the kitchen, tucked in the back lies a vintage 1950s candy machine—labeled “Out of Order,” which serves as the door leading to subterranean District Eagle.
Renovátes notes that when District Eagle is open, security staff will maintain a strict two-line policy, ensuring that those seeking meat to eat will not get entwined with those looking to gain access to District Eagle.
Lucky Pollo unites the need for sustenance with the idea of a bit of fortune, given its motto, “Get Lucky” and the whimsical brand mascot: a leather-booted chicken perched on a horseshoe. Renovátes and his District Eagle business partner had always been interested in opening a restaurant, and the Lucky Pollo space was indeed lucky: It already came with a functional kitchen. Plus, he says, the nearby fast-casual places around 14th and U streets “don’t offer a lot of quality options,” so opening the chicken spot “was a no-brainer.”
The space, designed by NYC creative Jasin Cadic, blends theatrical street-art-style vibes with Keith Haring-inspired wall prints, neon signs, and ceiling-hung chicken figurines —”some edgy, some sweet,” says Renovátes —creating an immersive, playful atmosphere. Lucky Pollo and District Eagle maintain separate amenities for their respective customers.
Lucky Pollo opened last week with a competition to devour a whole rotisserie chicken in the fastest time, with the winner earning $1,000 and a framed spot on the restaurant’s “Wall of Fame.” The opening also featured other games and prizes, and a full crowd spilling out the door.
“We want it to be a great place to eat, but also serve as a playful front for something completely unexpected.” Renovátes says.
On weekends especially, he jokes, the motto will be, ‘Come for the chicken, stay for the cock.’”
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