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    Theater Review

    New Dallas play shines shaky spotlight on hot-button national issue

    Lindsey Wilson
    May 11, 2016 | 2:39 pm

    It's about time there was a modern play about immigration and citizenship. Unfortunately, Deferred Action can't quite handle the weight of such an important topic, especially when it resorts to stereotypes to flesh out its story.

     

    The co-production by Dallas Theater Center and Cara Mía Theatre Co. combines the slick technical design and storytelling prowess for which each company is respectfully known. The show looks great and the actors are clearly invested — for some of the Latino Cara Mía troupe, this is quite literally their story — but it's hard to not let the play's message just wash over you like so many sensationalist news broadcasts.

     

    The script, by Cara Mía artistic director David Lozano and DTC director of new play development Lee Trull, starts off well enough, with a well-mannered Latino named Javi getting pulled over by a clearly racist cop (Chamblee Ferguson, in one of many small utility roles).

     

    The young man (played solidly by Ivan Jasso) refuses to cower and politely but firmly reminds the officer of his rights, even though he is what's known as a DREAMer (brought to America as a child but lacking citizenship). His pal secretly records the exchange on his phone and catapults Javi to internet fame.

     

    This might sound like a millennial's dream, except Javi is closely involved with the soon-to-be presidential campaign of Nancy (Christie Vela). His freshly minted fiancée, Lisa (Elizabeth Ramos), is also Nancy's right-hand-woman, and she's extremely worried about him suddenly becoming the face of immigration reform.

     

    Add to the concerned list Javi's frail grandmother, who raised him, and a family friend/lawyer played by Rodney Garza, each of whom point out the potential dangers he's stirring up.

     

    Must be about time for a flesh-and-blood villain, right? Michael Brusasco, fresh off playing racist bigot George Wallace in DTC's All The Way, here is a Rick Perry/Donald Trump hybrid named Dale Jenkins, a "true American" who "sticks to his guns" — literally — and is challenging Vela's Nancy in the race to the White House. After witnessing the danger and heartbreak of immigration in a dream, Jenkins is suddenly a major supporter of reform, while Nancy pragmatically knows she must appease voters in other areas as well.

     

    Brusasco's character is so evil that he goes far beyond satire and straight into cartoon. In fact, every white character in this play is evil, from Jenkins to his assistant Jerry (Brandon Potter plays evil with relish) to Ferguson's moneyed campaign investor.

     

    However, the Latino characters don't fare much better. Jasso brings depth to Javi, even if his struggle of which politician to side with meets a deflated conclusion. Frida Espinosa-Müller, one of the best character actors in DFW, does what she can to make the grandmother more than a cliché. Stephanie Cleghorn Jasso and Arturo Soria have so little to work with and are styled so predictably that they might as well be named Sassy Latina and Stoner Bro. For such a complicated subject, the audience deserves more complex characters.

     

    ---

     

     Dallas Theater Center and Cara Mía Theatre Co.'s Deferred Action continues at the Wyly Theatre through May 14.

    Arturo Soria, Ivan Jasso, and Chamblee Ferguson.

    Dallas Theater Center presents Deferred Action
      
    Photo by Karen Almond
    Arturo Soria, Ivan Jasso, and Chamblee Ferguson.
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    Theater Critic Picks

    From Wilde to 'The Wiz': 8 unmissable July shows in North Texas

    Lindsey Wilson
    Jul 2, 2025 | 10:18 am
    Second Thought Theatre presents Your Wife’s Dead Body
    Photo courtesy of Second Thought Theatre
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    Your instinct during the summer might be to hide out in an air-conditioned theater, and there are plenty of options to do exactly this month. But we would be remiss if we didn't remind you about a North Texas tradition: Shakespeare under the stars. Pack a picnic, bring a blanket, and watch The Bard (and this year Oscar Wilde) at Samuell-Grand Amphitheater with Shakespeare Dallas. Both shows opened in June, but continue through most of July.

    Here are eight shows local shows, listed in order of start date:

    The Importance of Being Earnest
    Shakespeare Dallas, through July 18 extended to July 26
    This witty romantic comedy by Oscar Wilde, first performed in 1895, tells the story of two men who assume the identities of a fictional man named Ernest. This leads them to each fall in love and encounter an assortment of comical problems along the way.

    Othello
    Shakespeare Dallas, through July 20
    In this Shakespearean tragedy, Othello is at the peak of his powers: not only Venice's greatest general but also husband to the noble and beautiful Desdemona. But he does not know that in passing over his servant Iago for promotion, he has created a deadly but brilliant enemy. This production is set in an alternate-history version of the 1990s in which the Venetian empire is the predominant political, military, and economic power.

    King Kirby
    American Chronicle Theatre Co., July 4-12
    This is the story of Jack "King of Comics" Kirby. The play follows him from the tough Jewish ghetto of Hell’s Kitchen in New York, to the harrowing battlefields of Normandy during WWII, to tense Senate hearings in the 1950s. Watch as he creates some of the most iconic heroes in pop culture: Captain America, Thor, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Iron Man, the New Gods, and countless others.

    Your Wife’s Dead Body
    Second Thought Theatre, July 9-26
    Written by Second Though Theatre artistic associate Jenny Ledel in her playwriting premiere, the play takes place in the near future, as Jane takes advantage of a new AI technology that would extend her lifespan ... even if she's not around to see it for herself.

    The Wiz
    Broadway at the Bass, July 15-20
    This all-new production of the groundbreaking, Tony Award-winning musical returns “home” in an all-new pre-Broadway tour, the first one in 40 years. The groundbreaking twist on The Wizard of Oz changed the face of Broadway, from its iconic score packed with soul, gospel, rock, and finger-snapping '70s funk to its stirring tale of Dorothy’s journey to find her place in a contemporary world.

    Noises Off
    Mainstage Irving-Las Colinas, July 18-August 2
    This play-within-a-play captures a touring theater troupe’s production of Nothing On in three stages: dress rehearsal, the opening performance, and a performance towards the end of a debilitating run. Playwright Michael Frayn gives a window into the inner workings of theatre behind-the-scenes, progressing from flubbed lines and missed cues in the dress rehearsal to mounting friction between cast members in the final performance.

    Everybody's Talking About Jamie
    Uptown Players, July 18-August 3
    Inspired by true events, this musical tells the inspiring story of Jamie New, a 16-year-old boy from Sheffield who dreams of becoming a drag queen. His loving mom showers him with endless support but it's not all rainbows for Jamie as his deadbeat dad and some ignorant school kids attempt to rain on his sensational aspirations.

    Shucked
    Broadway at the Bass, July 29-August 3
    This Tony Award-winning musical comedy features a book by Tony Award winner Robert Horn, a score by the Grammy Award-winning songwriting team of Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, and direction by Tony Award winner Jack O’Brien. The corn-fed, corn-bred American musical is sure to satisfy an appetite for great musical theater.

    broadway at the bassmusicalsnational tourplayssecond thought theatreuptown playersshakespeare under starsshakespeare in the parktheater
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