REVIEW of MONARCH: A Mexican-American Musical, an abridged reading at Open Jar Studios, Crown Plaza Times Square, NY. Alfonso Molina, composer, book, lyrics co-director, Mayu Molina Lehmann, book, lyrics.
The best news about Monarch: A Mexican-American musical is that the abridged version that was at Open Jar allowed the audience to hear some of the best songs and lyrics we have been treated to in a long time. The music hits multiple styles and the lyrics keep the audience emotionally involved in the songs. The use of point-counterpoint in the songs gives us something that many musicals today need, but lack. Unfortunately, a musical, to be truly marketable and interesting needs much more than great songs and Monarch is still missing many of the elements necessary to deserve a long stage run.
The best way to go through where the show need to work is to go through it point by point. Let’s start with the title character “Monarch” (the Nagual). The Nagual is magical person who has shapeshifting abilities, in this case becoming one with the Monarch butterfly. This piece of “magical realism” fails because the authors have failed to give this character songs, but only giving him the three generational life cycle to explain to the audience. This fails to keep the audience involved. Nagul either needs songs so he can embody his magic or the character needs to be dropped.
The show begins with an overture which is fine but immediately gives a speech to Nagual and a song to the antagonist, Officer Castelo who doesn’t really have a role in the protagonist life until almost 20 years after the show begins. Then, according to the Los Angeles playbill, moves to a homeless immigrant song. Thus, we are not introduced to “Luis”, our protagonist until the 5th scene in the show. By this time the audience really has no idea what the show is about and any attempt to capture their fascination is lost. The show, following the overture, needs to go to Luis singing The Most Amazing Creature of All which is currently the 9th scene. That does not mean the other scenes need to be cut, but they cannot be used in this order.
Another problem the abridged reading seemed to display is that the protagonist, Luis, is a wonderful human being. But the show indicates that it he is more than a bit self-absorbed. “Join Me in this Journey” and “I’m Staying” wonderfully tell the early story of the relationship between Luis and his wife Ana and his infant daughter Amanda. But, Luis decides to illegally immigrate to the US despite Ana’s unwillingness to accompany him. How Amanda ends up in the US is not clear. His intention to only live in the US for a couple of years to earn some money disappears as he is still there 20 years later. We need to see the relationship between Ana and Luis throughout the years and to experience Ana’s death. We need to know how Amanda came to be in the US while still too young to walk or talk. The authors need to embrace Luis’ somewhat serious imperfections.
Although we were assured in the talkback that at least 10% of the show is in Spanish, not one word of Spanish was heard in the Tuesday show. At minimum, at least some Spanish should be in each song. In songs with a refrain, the refrain should switch between Spanish and English. Use of languages other than English without translation or apology is now common in many off-Broadway and Broadway shows. There is no reason for the authors not to adopt this device.
A larger portion of Officer Castillo’s songs should be in Spanish. To any someone born and raised on the East Coast of the US it is obvious that Castillo is a 2nd generation Cuban immigrant whose parents escaped Cuba in the early 1960s. They were the second wave of upper class asylum seekers trying to escape Castro, not the ‘50s wave of poorer individuals escaping the political persecution of Batista. Castillo’s parents, at least on the East Coast, would be easily recognized as socially and politically conservative, law and order individuals. Maybe this prejudice is different in California, Texas, Arizona and New Mexico. Castillo’s dislike/hatred of “economic” illegals while embracing his Spanish heritage should be on full display. If he comes to have some empathy for his “targets” as an ICE officer that will be fine as long as he never shirks his duty.
Monarch, like Patriots and Vladimir, seems to rushing to production because the topic is hot, but it would be better served by waiting until it is truly ready and embracing a more universal message that, along with the exceptional music, could make it a classic.
ARTIUM: OMNI 