Theater Review: “Calling Puerto Rico" Premieres at Seven Angels

By Nancy Sasso Janis

Pa'lante Theater Company is presenting the world premiere of “Calling Puerto Rico,” a play written by Juan Ramirez, Jr. The new play is produced in association with Seven Angels Theatre. It made its debut last week at the Waterbury theater and continues through Feb. 26.

Pa’lante, a Spanish contraction of “para adelante” (meaning straight ahead or go forward) is Connecticut’s first and only Afro-Latine Black Box theater company. The company, an arm of the Waterbury's Afro Caribbean Cultural Center, is announcing its arrival on the Nutmeg State's theater scene with this world premiere of “Calling Puerto Rico: For the Island and to Hope.”

The play is directed by Pa'lante Founder and Artistic Director Nelson Rafael Feliciano-Roman in his directorial debut. The director prefers to be called Rafael.

This drama explores the impact of Hurricane Maria on the people and communities both in Puerto Rico and their families in the United States before, during, and after the storm.

The Puerto Rican family grapples with the effects of the devastating hurricane both on the island and in New York. The story begins on Sept. 16. 2017 and ends in February of 2018.

In New York City, Joel is an amateur radio operator who has not been out of his attic apartment for about a year. He gets news about Tropical Storm Maria and the potential it has to harm Puerto Rico. Worried, the young man decides to reach out over his amateur (ham) radio to a man he hasn’t spoken to in a very long time, his grandfather, Aníbal.

The playwright writes that his play is meant to be a calling to his people and the only way to present it is with love. “I am forever in support to anyone that actively chooses to uplift my community, especially by establishing a welcoming home,” he said.

Juan Ramirez, Jr. is an internationally-produced, award-winning playwright, monologist, screenwriter, actor, director, filmmaker, producer and poet. Ramirez will be available for questions and answers after performances on Saturday and Sunday.

The cast is comprised of five talented actors, each of whom are making their respective Pa’lante Theater Company debuts.

Rabel Bueno, a Latino actor born in Brooklyn, New York who has been acting since 2017, tackles the role of Joel, the shut-in amateur radio operator. Bueno does extremely well with the range of emotion in his character in his theater/stage debut.

Fior Rodriguez shines as Melosa, the landlord of Joel who works as a nurse. The actress makes the most of the wonderful humor in her character and has great chemistry with her tenant who has lots of baggage. Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Miami, theater has never been accessible nor representative of people like her, and Rodriguez hopes works of art like “Calling Puerto Rico” will act as a catalyst for an increase in roles and voices for BIPOC actors.

Jeffrey Rossman appears as Anibal, the grandfather of Joel living alone on the island. Rossman is a retired RN from both the military and civilian capacities and is a well known veteran of local community theaters in Connecticut and New York.

Betzabeth Gonzalez is quite charming in the role of Debra, an astronaut on the Space Station who communicates to Earth via ham radio. Gonzalez is a Connecticut-based actor, singer, and teaching artist who recently performed in “A Christmas Carol” at The Legacy Theatre in Branford.

Cameron Hudson covers the supporting role of Rolan, a neighbor of Anibal. When not in front of the camera or onstage, Cameron is an aspiring screenwriter, film maker, and novelist.

Feliciano-Roman grew up at Seven Angels and he is proud to be a product of its programming, from Bright Lights to his directorial debut. He is grateful to Semina De Laurentis and the entire Seven Angels team for their hospitality, partnership and commitment to Afro-Latine communities.

Although this is Rafael's directorial debut, he has acted and served in the production side of several regional theater productions throughout the country.

Costume/Scenic designer Zelest Caraballo captures the two very different locations and lighting design by Seven Angel’s Jimmy Donohue sets the mood really well. Rafael Feliciano was in charge of hair and wig design, as well as music coordinator. Company Manager Angelica Huertas serves as the sound designer, featuring the background sound of coquis and radio static. There was much production support from Seven Angels Theatre.

The Pa'lante Theater Company season will also include the Afro Latino Film Festival at Seven Angels in June and "Viva Broadway - Waterbury," a musical theater review of Afro-Latin Musicals.

“Calling Puerto Rico,” is presented without an intermission and runs about two hours. “Calling Puerto Rico” continues through Sunday at Seven Angels, 1 Plank Road in Waterbury. A portion of any proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to CT Helps Puerto Rico, a Connecticut fund that helps the island of Puerto Rico recover from damaging hurricanes, most recently Hurricane Fiona.

Nancy Sasso Janis is a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle (ctcritics.org).

Photo by Rafael Feliciano-Roman