Photo Credit: Michael Brosilow
There is a wonderful moment in the middle of Act Two in The Rep’s One House Over, where Camila, the undocumented worker and her elderly patient, Milos, compare their immigration experiences.
It’s late on a summer night in suburban Chicago 2010 and Obama is president. Over a few glasses of gin, the 89-year-old Czech refugee, Milos details escaping the Nazis, just barely, as a young man in 1939. Camila, on the other hand, crossed the Rio Grande in 1995 and through a series of trucks—and luck—ended up in Chicago.
“You crossed a river. I crossed an ocean,” brags the elderly man. But the moment hangs on the night air like a shining star, reminding us that we all come from somewhere, just trying to find our way “home.” Wherever that “home” is now.
In a world premiere of the latest play by Catherine Trieschmann, Director Mark Clements gives us an intimate portrayal of five characters, “neighbors,” who impact one another’s lives by trying to understand and define boundaries— when those boundaries get irrevocably crossed.
Forty something Joanne hires Camila as life-in help to care for her ailing father Milos. Camila’s husband Rafael is part of the deal. Patty is that wonderfully irksome next door neighbor, nosy but deep down caring. While the storyline in this production meanders along like a slow breeze on a hot day, the atmosphere is emotionally charged with tension. Camila and Rafael are clearly undocumented and the dynamics continually shift and change as the young couple take on more of a “family” role with Joanne and Milos.
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The riches in this play can be found in the talented ensemble of actors, who make us forget they’re “acting” given their naturalness within the backyard beauty of Kevin Depinet’s classic bungalow setting: Zoe Sophia Garcia (Camila) and Justin Huen (Rafael) define these roles and play extremely well off one another; Elaine Rivkin (Joanne) gives us glimpses of her inner life as needed and Mark Jacoby is sheer perfection as the cranky Milos, making us still like him, despite his nasty pranks. Jeanne Paulson is fascinating to watch as neighbor Patty, her laser like focus commanding the stage in her “take no prisoners” approach.
One House Over is yet another topical reminder that the more we try to separate ourselves from one another, the more alike we are in what we’re all searching for—a place to call “home.”
Through March 25 in the Quadracci Powerhouse, 108 E. Wells St. For tickets call 414-224-9490 or visit www.MilwaukeeRep.com
