Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Ren Dara Santiago’s THE SIBLINGS PLAY ambitiously, powerfully references “Electra” and “Hamlet”

• By drediman
• March 14, 2020
• No Comments

Mateo Ferro and Andy Lucien in Ren Dara Santiago’s “The Siblings Play” at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater.

Last night, I caught the sold-out penultimate performance of Ren Dara Santiago’s The Siblings Play at Off-Broadway’s Rattlestick Playwrights Theater. The production, whose last near-term showing is tonight, is yet another casualty of the city-wide theater suspensions and closings designed to combat the coronavirus pandemic that was implemented a few days ago. In fact, it was one of the very few plays to have had a performance last night. The searing kitchen sink drama tells the story of three spirited siblings who bond over and revolt against the severe irresponsibilities of their divorced parents.

For the most, I was impressed by Ms. Santiago’s newish play (it had received a 2017 production courtesy of Cherry Lane’s Mentor Project). Although the piece understandably bares the qualities of a still-developing playwright – e.g., awkwardly-structured scenes (and that title!) – Ms. Santiago has a captivating way with words. There’s a seductive rhythmic quality to her writing, and I found her talent for infusing of raw, authentic vernacular into her play quite distinctive. I was also drawn by her fearless pursuit of operatic emotional grandeur. Indeed, there are shades of Electra by Sophocles, and even Shakespeare’s Hamlet, in The Siblings Play. Largely, her ambitious references pay off.

Director Jenna Worsham has given the play an exceptionally detailed staging. Particularly, she handles the play’s unexpected flashbacks with seamlessness and theatricality. Kudos also to set designer Angelica Borrero, who deals with the restrictions of the small Rattlestick stage with great ingenuity. The Siblings Play is filled with lived-in, guttural performances. Particularly powerful is the work of the attractive young thespians who play the titular siblings – Cindy De La Cruz, Mateo Ferro, and Ed Ventura. There’s a natural ease and instinctive quality to their stage work that give their performances a special vibrancy. Suffice to say, each possesses innate star quality. Certainly, these are three talents to keep an eye on.

RECOMMENDED

THE SIBLINGS PLAY
Off-Broadway, Play
Rattlestick Playwrights Theater
2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Through March 14; suspended thereafter