Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Christin Eve Cato’s SANCOCHO investigates and celebrates family and sisterhood via kitchen time

• By drediman
• April 9, 2023
• No Comments

Earlier this week, I had the chance to catch up with Christin Eve Cato’s Sancocho, courtesy of Off-Broadway’s WP Theater on the Upper West Side. The new play comes to New York having enjoyed success in Chicago, where it was presented by Visión Latino Theater Company as a part of the fifth annual Chicago International Latino Theater Festival. Told mostly in real time, Cato’s naturalistic work depicts two sisters who spend time together cooking a family recipe and, in the process, reconciling their disparate lives and investigating and celebrating family, sisterhood, and Latinx culture.

On paper, Sancocho is literally a kitchen sink drama. Where it distinguishes itself are its two characters, both of whom are complicated, difficult women with the capacity to love fiercely. A lot is discussed between them – namely, family traumas, secrets, and memories – arguably too much for the play’s slight framework. But thanks to to Cato’s richly-wrought characterizations and organic dialogue (I particularly appreciate her authentic use “Spanglish”), this wasn’t too much of an issue. Although the play’s use of cooking is hardly a new or groundbreaking metaphor (sancocho is an oxtail stew, a Puerto Rican beef stew of sorts), the playwright does an elegant job of incorporating it into the play, avoiding heavy-handedness. Judging from the interactive reaction of the boisterous audience, Sancocho seems to have struck a note with Latinx audiences, who seem to have been starved for theatrical works that speak directly to their experiences. As evidence, the play has been by extended two weeks through April 23rd.

The WP production has been directed by Rebecca Martínez, who beautifully serves the play’s naturalism (the detailed apartment kitchen set is by Raul Abrego). Most strikingly, Martínez uses our sense of smell to unlock aspects of the play that words can’t fully articulate. Indeed, as soon as you walk into the WP Theater’s intimate auditorium, you’ll be welcomed with the mouth-watering aroma of a home-cooked meal. As the two sisters, Shirley Rumierk and Zuleyma Guevara give sassy and heartfelt performances that thoroughly embrace Latino culture and the notion of family.

RECOMMENDED

SANCOCHO
Off-Broadway, Play
WP Theater
1 hour, 40 minutes (without an intermission)
Through April 23