Teo Castellanos

Review by John Townsend

Special to the Artcetera Blog
Teatro del Pueblo's Ninth Annual Political Theatre Festival is going out with one glorious bang. Miami's Teo Castellano has swooped into the Twin Cities with his miraculous one man show, "NE 2nd Avenue," winner of the 2003 Fringe First Award at Scotland's Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It's presented in partnership with Intermedia Arts and Pangea World Theater, and will be staged again Friday and Saturday nights at Intermedia Arts' Minneapolis center.

Castellanos is an eagle-eyed observer of Miami's marginalized populations. But his multiple-character play, directed by Michael Garces, transcends simply being a showcase of engaging figures. Rather, Castellanos has written and performs a resplendent human tapestry totally composed of people of color. Few actors can so richly and convincingly cross so many racial and ethnic lines. Moreover, his people are much more than well rendered accents. They are real flesh and blood folks who negotiate survival and dignity on society's margins. Some are compelled to illegal livelihoods. Some have fiercely defied that. They are Haitian, Cuban, Puerto Rican, African American, Jewish, gay, straight, male, female.

Amazingly, "NE 2nd Avenue" never once falls into political didacticism. Marginalized people are not propped up as misunderstood saints. The specter of drug dealing hovers throughout. In one segment, Castellano plays an African American man who succumbs to peer pressure and assaults a man not from the neighborhood. Lights fade as the African American becomes violent, and when they come up again, Castellano is playing a good Samaritan of Caribbean descent. He calls the police and stays with the victim of the previous scene till they arrive, but only to be handcuffed and arrested. Drugs have built an underground economy and a felon class that all the characters must either join in with or navigate around. Wealthier whites and rival gangs exploit this.

In one sparkling scene, a spunky African American woman relates how she defies a jailbird black boyfriend who tries to control her. In another a buff gay man of color relates a violent tale of a homophobic father with his kids intruding in what was thought to be a safe gay space. One can understand the gay man's outrage but how the situation was ultimately handled will certainly give audience members much to debate afterwards.

Cuban experience also takes the stage in a hallucinatory scene about an escape to Florida. There's also a marvelous account of two Cuban men who go to Israel and Palestine, each fighting on opposite sides but maintaining a clandestine friendship on the side. It's one of the show's many fascinating relationships. You can see a video of the performance by clicking through to "productions" at Castellano"s website.

NE 2nd Avenue
What: Final Installment of Teatro del Pueblo's Political Theatre Festival: Across the Divide
When: Friday & Saturday, Mar. 12 & 13 at 8pm.
Where: Intermedia Arts, 2822 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls.
Info: 800-838-3006
brownpapertickets.com