Devil Land
Written by Desi Moreno-Penson
Directed by Hank Hilbert
UrbanTheater Chicago, 2628 W. Division (map)
thru April 6 | tickets: $10-$20 | more info
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A tragic, profane and thrilling tale of supernatural religious fervor
UrbanTheater Chicago presents
Devil Land
Review by Kat Hey
Devil Land is a spellbinding story of a woman who is forever trapped in self-hatred and in denial of her indigenous roots. She draws her husband and a not-so-innocent child into a spiral of religious fervor tinged with visions and terror.
Beatriz (Jasmin Cardenas) has kidnapped a girl from her upstairs neighbor. Her husband Americo (Christian Castro) is mortified at his wife’s crime, recognizing it as an extreme reappearance of her ‘sickness’ as she chains Destiny (Tricia Rodriguez) to a cot in the basement, kept company by her favorite book “How The Grinch Stole Christmas.” Soon, it becomes apparent that there is something special about the girl who Beatriz believes she’s rescued from a mother’s whorish lifestyle. (Thinking that keeping the child manacled to a cot in the furnace room as a form of rescue shows just how far her “sickness” has progressed). Adding depth to the story, an unseen narrator (Mike Cherry) speaks in rhymes, with a menacing Boris Karloff lilt.
Cardenas plays Beatriz with wild-eyed energy. Beatriz sees the vengeance of God in everything involved with being Puerto Rican. She feels that her mother’s death during her birth has punished her for life. Raised, then, by her Abuela (grandmother), religious instruction was given under the threat of a knitting needle in the ear. Beatriz’ longs to atone for the death of her child Christopher and restrains her carnal nature. There are brilliant passages where Cardenas enthralls, giving life to Beatriz’ visions. She is speaking the dialog clearly in English but it feels like she is speaking in tongues.
Castro takes the character of Americo to the fever pitch in his disbelief and then creeping realization of what is so very special about Destiny. He skillfully melds the character’s emotions of rage and frustration. His physical presence is engulfed in trying to solve the dilemma of the crime in which Americo is complicit. He transitions from loving husband and pseudo-patriarch to a shape-shifting menace – an embodiment of the Grinch.
 
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Making up the third part and perhaps the most fascinating character in Devil Land, Rodriguez’ portrayal of Destiny is a marvel to watch. Rodriguez imbues the character of Destiny with an aura of prepubescent wiles. On the surface there is fear and grief, but then the layers start to peel back. Sometimes her dialog is that of an innocent child, but then a double entendre or innocent observation inserts a perverse twist. Destiny evokes the nightmares that Beatriz has hidden behind a steel wall of piety. The story weaves in characters from Taino myths that become onomatopoeia when spoken by Rodriguez.
One of the things that make this show so powerful is the realization of the imaginary characters through dialog. The half-dog, half-human Guabiron is spoken with reverence in spite of its ominous tidings, while the vengeful Guayaba, the Lord of the Dead, comes alive in this story. The spooky effects and Cherry’s baritone narration weave an ephemeral spell in this production – one need not have been born in El Yunque or Dorado to feel the universality of the lengths that people will go to survive. The language and the themes are quite raw and poke at the atavist in everyone. The play was developed out of Urban Theater Company’s staged reading series R.A.W. (Real. Aggressive. Writing.) Devil Land lives up to the acronym. It’s tragic, profane, and thrilling – a definite must-see.
Rating: ★★★★
Devil Land continues through April 6th at UrbanTheater Chicago, 2628 W. Division (map), with performances Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays 6pm. Tickets are $10-$20, and are available online through TicketMob.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at UrbanTheaterChicago.org. (Running time: 90 minutes, no intermission)
Photos by Anthony Aicardi
artists
cast
Jasmin Cardenas (Beatriz), Mike Cherry (Narrator), Christian Castro (Americo), Tricia Rodriguez (Destiny), Antonia Aracely (understudy)
behind the scenes
Hank Hilbert (director), Juan Castañeda (co-director, dramaturg), Carolyn Reynolds (stage manager, light/sound board operator), Aaron Mayes (production manager), Amy Couey (props), Ivy Reid (lighting design), Tony Bruno (sound design), Freddie Rocha (costume design), Ivan Vega (producer), Tiara Brittan (box office manager), Olivia Sieck (box office assistang), Anthony Aicardi (photos)
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