NY Review: 'American Jornalero'

Ed Cardona Jr.’s “American Jornalero” begins in a manner so ordinary that it’s cunning. Three guys—Marcelo (Jose Joaquin Perez), Luis (Bernardo Cubría), and Michigan (Bobby Plasencia)—gather one morning on a corner next to a playground in Queens (handsomely rendered by scenic designer Raul Abrego) to sip coffee, banter, and, most important, wait for someone driving by to hire them for a day’s work. As cars zoom past (an excellent three-dimensional soundscape from Julian Mesri) and minor squabbles develop, it’s rough not to wonder if Cardona is attempting to pen a kind of latter-day equivalent to Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot.”

He’s not, though, and instead we soon meet two other men, Toby (Quinlan Corbett) and his newest overeager recruit, Mark (Joel Ripka), who have taken it upon themselves to act as a “presence” on such corners to instill a sense of fear into the immigrants who attempt to ply their trade in this manner. With the arrival of these characters Cardona loads his play’s metaphorical gun, but with the exception of a minor comic kerfuffle involving some pepper spray, sparks never fly, leaving “American Jornalero” as a sadly saccharine exploration of the human ties that bind us all.

But even if the show’s dramatic arc underwhelms, the finely crafted performances that director Mariana Carreño King has elicited from the cast impress. Most notable is Cubría, who imbues the good-natured Luis with an edgy sunniness that courses with bitterness while mining the script for bits of comic gold. He’s particularly funny when Luis badgers his compatriots about missing a morning cup of java. King also shares a terrific chemistry with David Crommett, who not only delivers a warmhearted turn as a gregarious trilingual Belorussian man looking for some sort of work but also manages to deliver Spanish with a Russian accent.

As these men’s compatriots, both Plasencia and Perez deliver solidly. As the play progresses, and Marcelo becomes increasingly agitated about the whereabouts of his wife, who is arriving from Mexico, Perez proves to be gently moving. While Corbett skillfully avoids turning the zealous and arrogant Toby into a caricature, Ripka never fully convinces as the would-be pit bull there to watch the immigrants’ activities and inspire dread.

Ripka does, however, handle the play’s ending with ease, as Luis and Mark literally go about fence-mending on the street. It’s a feel-good moment that sadly trivializes an all-too-real issue.

Presented by and at Intar Theatre, 500 W. 52nd St., 4th floor, NYC. May 7–June 3. Wed.–Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 5 p.m. (Additional performance Sat., May 12, 4 p.m.; no performance Sun., May 13.) (212) 352-3101, (866) 811-4111, www.theatermania.com, or www.intartheatre.org.