Playwright: Mando Alvarado. At: Teatro Vista at Victory Gardens Biograph, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave. Tickets: 773-871-3000; TeatroVista.org; $18-$30. Runs through: Oct. 16
When his father died, 9-year old Eric decided he must be the protector of his mother and kid brother, Andrew. When Mom remarried and had another son, Eric repressed his anger but savagely beat his half-brother at least once. He abandoned the family at 25 when Mom committed suicide on Christmas day. After five years without any contact, Eric ( J. Salome Martinez ) comes home to Pearl City, Texas, on Christmas Eve. Like a bull in a china shop, he's angry that life has continued without him, that Andrew ( Eddie Martinez ) now owns the house, that his bedroom has become a recording studio for half-brother Eli ( Tommy Rivera-Vega ) and that stepdad Angel ( Adam Bitterman ) still lives there.
Wait—there's more. Angel is a recovering junkie. Eli, now 21, suffers from what appears to be Asperger's syndrome. Andrew, a local policeman, still loves his lesbian former wife. All three brothers are sexually frustrated—Eric in various inappropriate ways, and Eli because he's 21 and virginal.
That's a lot to pile on a play's plate, and considerably more than can be fully explored and resolved even in the two-and-a-half-hour running time ( with intermission ). Having obtained this well-presented world premiere, author Mando Alvarado now must make tough choices—not so much about length ( trimming 10-15 minutes would be easy ) as about focus. I learned coincidentally that Parachute Men is highly autobiographical, which explains why Alvarado has poured so much into it. But not everything in life makes a good play. Right now, Alvarado tries to give all three brothers equal attention, to the detriment of building up a single hero, and the brothers indulge in emotionally repetitive behaviors.
For example, several scenes involve Andrew and his ex, Cori ( Maggie Scrantom ), but the play isn't about Andrew and Cori, it's about three brothers. Cori needs to go because her character doesn't affect the outcome in any way, nor does she have any relationship with Eric. Then, twice in Act I the brothers directly address the audience, but not in Act II. The non-realistic device calls attention to itself, so either extend it or remove it. I could offer additional examples and that's good: Parachute Men is well-crafted enough for one to see the details.
There's no question about Alvarado's ambition and ability. He creates strongly-drawn and highly-individual characters demanding bravura acting, but controlled bravura. The Teatro Vista ensemble meets the challenge with flying colors under director Riccardo Gutierrez. However, the play walks a line between comedy and seriousness and doesn't always signal when it's OK to laugh. Some small directorial adjustments might unlock the play's ample humor, which would be good. FYI: there's nothing particularly Latino about this family; it's just another dysfunctional American family, dealing.
