Of men and masculinity
The Hombres, co-presentation of regional premiere by Gloucester Stage Company and Teatro Chelsea.At Gloucester Stage, through September 22.Gloucesterstage.com or 978-281-4433. At Teatro Chelsea, Chelsea Theatre Works, September 27-29.
Gloucester Stage and Teatro Chelsea have begun a truly momentous collaboration with immediately very satisfying results. The former is closing out its 45th anniversary season with the latter co-presenting the regional premiere of a provocative and strikingly affecting effort entitled "The Hombres. " Lovingly directed by Teatro Chelsea co-artistic director Armando Rivera, this striking 2022 work by gay Latino playwright Tony Meneses (a Mexican-American from Guadalajara) explores not only what it means to be a Latino male but also the nature of friendships and intimacies between men.
Set "somewhere off the New Jersey Transit line," "The Hombres" finds three Mexican construction workers—Hector, Beto and Pedro—busy with a luxury condominium project. John Holmes embellishes their uniforms with a kind of surreal lighting, while Julian Crocamo provides an authentic sound design at the job site—an impressive metal construct from Kristin Loeffler. As they work, the three pay undue attention to the (unseen) women taking yoga classes at the nearby studio at center stage. Early on, Julian, the gay Latino instructor, receives a complaint about the voyeuristic trio making the women uncomfortable as they stretch and execute their yoga moves.
For his part Julian has been afraid of men in some ways since experiencing a crush as a fourth grade on his school's innocent bus driver ( a disarming back story anecdote). He may be attracted to Miles, a handsome married non-Latino and at first his only male student and one seen in a Fordham University sweatshirt (the playwright's actual alma mater). The attraction is suggested when he later finds discomfort as Miles unselfconsciously strips down to his underwear to change out of his yoga clothes.
By contrast, Julian's fellow Latinos initially keep their distance. Their job site conversation includes unsurprising exchanges about family and weekend get-togethers and sardonic joking about more affluent counterparts vacationing on the Jersey Shore. A sharp insight speaks of the rich pitting middle class Blacks, Mexican-Americans and others against each other.
Playwright Meneses soon brings nuance to the interests and goals of the seemingly machismo-dominated co-worker friends. It all begins with Hector. Separated from his wife and only seeing his kids on weekends, the troubled job site manager finds himself drawn to the benefits of yoga. As a former school custodian, he persuades Julian to train him in yoga in exchange for helping to clean the studio at night. Reducing his own anxiety and worry through training, Hector encourages Julian to return to the pursuit of modern dance . Not threatened by Julian's sexual orientation, he observes that Hombres should know not to be afraid of each other. Later Pedro and even Beto—ostensibly gay but possibly subconsciously attracted to Julian—begin their own training. A change in Hector's fortunes has an alarming and timely message about the ongoing mistreatment of hard-working immigrants intent on becoming citizens.
"The Hombres" never treats these essentially different men as caricatures. Throughout Meneses depicts Julian, the three construction workers and Miles as men allowing their respective identities as men to evolve both individually and together. Under Rivera's sharp direction, the five very talented actors become what is unquestionably one of the best ensembles of the year. Ricardo "Ricky"Holguin —both with hair tied up and later let down—captures Julian's shimmering humanity and complex inner battle about friendship and intimacy. His moves during a sequence from Julian's modern dance art make the yoga instructor's dreams visually arresting. Patrick O'Konis has Miles' inner confidence about having a drink with Julian and his sincerity about being his friend. Arthur Gomez is a revelation as complicated but soulful Hector. Gomez' exchanges with always convincing Luis Negron as good friend Pedro are wonderfully natural and heartfelt. Jaime Jose Hernandez—a founding member of Teatro Chelsea—catches Beto's tricky evolution from volatility to understanding.
Julian tellingly advises to hold people close. Gloucester Stage and Teatro Chelsea's luminous collaboration makes "The Hombres" a very embraceable 100-minute enlightenment about men and masculinity.