Theater Review: “I Am Latino” And Proud!
Playing until July 7 at Repertorio Español, I AM LATINO explores every Latin stereotype that has been glued to Latinos, particularly, in the minds of non-Latino Americans. Like many of his prior comedy shows such as, En La USA Me Quedo and Sin Wifi Tambien Se Vive, Saulo Garcia creates characters and humor that prompt his viewers to ask: So What? So what if Latinos talk loud? So what if Latinas love to dance? So what if Latinx believe Vicks Vapor Rub can cure cancer and would pay a 1000 dollars for a brujo to get them a husband? Are we still not human?!
Saulo Garcia is a legend or what us, Millennials, would call a GOAT. His one man shows are hilarious explorations on how diluted or degraded Latinx culture can be by “gringos.” For him we are a rich community filled with a peoples of strong beliefs and resilience that can, at times, be diminished into caricatures of foolish “campesinos,” deranged “viejitos”, or self-absorbed, “gangsta” youths. Hence, he approaches each of these characters with a subtle intelligence, especially an emotional one. While you DIE laughing at him poking him fun at the behaviors and urban myths that pervade us (honestly, even gringos know about our “chancleta” usage), the twist for Saulo Garcia is that not even a caricature is worth indignity.
As an actor, Saulo Garcia brings a level of warmth, compassion, and even smartness to his most deluded characters to, ultimately, spark self-analysis in viewers. For him, kindness is as much about what we do unto others as it is what we do within ourselves. Thus, even if a person is a “character” or a “stereotype,” hate and cruelty do not have to be your responses to them, and they, especially, cannot be your excuses for mistreating them. Thus, Garcia uses I Am Latino as a comment on how commented our community has become by others “outside” of it. Yet, whether these “outside comments/ stereotypes” are true or have become Latinx’s truth does not matter, in terms, of others using them as excuses to make us less. It is a fact that is veiled amongst laugh out loud moments and an audience member getting a “spiritual cleansing.”
At 90 minutes I Am Latino, feels like someone put laughing gas into your day. It is such a quick burst of joy that encourages our community to both keep laughing at ourselves while demanding others take us seriously. Latinx have given a lot to both this world and America, of which Saulo Garcia has made it his mission to remind us that, which is why I enjoy his works. It is nice to walk out of a theater feeling proud of your community while also completely accepting that it is crazy. To Buy Tickets To I AM LATINO Click Here. El Repertorio Españoll Is Located: 138 E 27th St, New York, NY 10016
