“There’s no place like home,” Dorothy says as she takes her long-awaited trip back to Kansas. In “Somewhere Over the Border” by Brian Quijada, Reina also searches for home, but one she has only ever heard of. Directed by Carlos Mendoza, the musical currently playing at Cygnet Theatre tells a story of immigration and determination through an adaptation of “The Wizard of Oz.” The show has heart, drama, good laughs and a crew of likable characters; however, it seems like the musical score could use a bit of work.
Reina (Vanessa Orozco) finds herself with a young child amid a deeply distressing political climate in El Salvador in the 1970s. Wanting a better life for her son, she gathers the funds and travels to Tijuana to be transported across the U.S.-Mexico border. Along the way, she discovers three companions also wanting a new life in America: Cruz (Luis Sherlinee), who searches for a higher education; Silvano (Edward Padilla), who wants to find his wife and kids in America; and Leona (Luzma Ortiz), who has aspirations of being a rockstar, if only she had the courage. All the while, a narrator (Fernando Vega) accompanies their travels and carries the show.
Orozco is wonderful. She is very sincere and believable, and all you want to do is root for this woman who just wants a better life. She delivers an incredibly tense and anxiety-inducing performance toward the end of the second act, and it is so effective at emphasizing just how serious the situation is. A great job all around.
Ortiz brings most of the show’s humor, and she’s tremendous at it. Padilla also brought some great laughs, especially when the Tin Man’s oil can turned out to be a bottle of tequila. Sherlinee was endearing and likable as Cruz.
As Julia, Reina’s mother, Crissy Guerrero delivers great performances in her emotionally driven songs. Vega was great as the omnipresent Narrator, slipping in and out of the story with both diagetic and non-diagetic storytelling. And a special shout-out to Dhani Solorio as Reina’s son, Fernando. He gave a very good performance for his Cygnet debut.
Much like its inspiration, “Somewhere Over the Border” takes the opportunity to give each plucky character a song to tell their story. While each character’s individual song was unique and matched their personalities, the remaining reprises were incredibly repetitive. “Ride Up the Road,” the show’s equivalent of “We’re Off to See the Wizard,” is fitting for what the concept is going for, but the song “In the USA” is also sung four times throughout the first act. Reprise after reprise, it felt like you started to check out a little bit.
In an interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune, Mendoza said, “I keep saying to people if you like shows like ‘In the Heights’ you will definitely love the music in ‘Somewhere Over the Border.’” The Lin-Manuel Miranda inspiration is very apparent throughout the show, especially in Reina’s big final number, “Life in America.” The song sounds a lot like “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story,” the closing number in “Hamilton.” Hearing the inspiration wasn’t a bad thing, but it sounded so similar that it was just a smidge distracting.
Tanya Orellana designed a beautiful set reminiscent of the famous tornado that took Dorothy to Oz, all the while accentuated with Blake McCarty’s projection design. The two elements blended very effectively. The lighting design by Ryan Fallis was extremely cool, often dipping into the wilder and more fantastical side, giving the show a different kind of depth.
“Somewhere Over the Border” is a relatively new musical, premiering only four years ago at Syracuse Stage. However, over the past four years, the discussion and discourse over immigration has shifted into something dark and very scary. The message this musical seeks to convey has never been more imperative, and I applaud Cygnet for producing it.
“Somewhere Over the Border” runs until March 15 at The Joan in Liberty Station.
(Photo credit: Karli Cadel)
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