Although they represent a near-majority in Phoenix and can command tens of thousands to march, the Latino populace has never been a force within the performing arts community here. Guillermo Reyes, an internationally known Chilean playwright who runs the M.F.A. playwriting program at Arizona State University, set out to change this perception when he created his Teatro Bravo! theatre company. Several productions of his work have proven successful, including his semiautobiographical Chilean Holiday and the raucous Men on the Verge of a His-panic Breakdown. The sketch comedy The Hispanick Zone was first produced by the company in 1996, drawing a large Spanish-speaking audience, and Reyes has remounted it in order to launch the company's 2006-07 season.
Although the play is advertised as dealing with themes in 2006, the 13 sketches, many thematically familiar to the Hispanic community, are almost completely the same as those first produced a decade ago. Certainly several sketches are timeless, such as one in which a young man comes out to his mother in order to tell her that the family was originally Jewish before the Inquisition, and the final sketch about a "Mr. Hispano" pageant that turns the concept of the beauty show on its ear. Some sketches, too, are still apropos today, like "TV's New Frontier," "Learn English," and "W-2: A True Story," all offering various takes on racism.
But a couple of sketches show some wear: "Radio for Rabblerousers," for example, which references Lorena Bobbitt and Clinton Democrats, and "Peace Talks," which attempts to find a middle ground between Cuban-émigré Republicans and liberal Chicanos. The sketches would also have proven more effective given a more consistent ensemble.
Yet a few of the 11 actors are standouts. There's Edis Donoghue-Chavez, whose funniest turn is playing the overheated host of the Mr. Hispano contest; Adrian Villalpando and Marcos Nejera, each of whom appear unafraid to cross-dress or perform modern dance for the sake of comedy; and Greta Skelly, who has a knockout singing voice. The remainder of the crew is a mixed bag: some rush their delivery, some play too often to the audience, and some seem ill-at-ease on stage.
The Hispanick Zone runs Sept. 2-17 at the Playhouse in the Park, 1850 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. Tickets: (602) 258-1800. Website: www.teatrobravo.org.