La Breve y Maravillosa Vida de Oscar Wao Es Una Maravilla
The award-winning novel by Junot Diaz, The Brief And Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao has been adapted to El Repertorio Espanol stage, and fans of the novel will be elated. This character has touched so many lives because he was was a beautiful human being with a fractured self-image, of which readers could relate to the burden of having a big heart that can love the world but not itself. Directed by Marco Antonio Rodríguez, Oscar Wao lives in this space.
With a set splashed with comic-book images and subtitles, vividly designed by Melanie May, Oscar’s imaginativeness is, immediately, felt. Part of the difficulty of adapting Oscar Wao is that the character is very timid and insecure, of which the readers relied on the Yunior’s narration and the narrative nose-dives into the hidden fantasies and genius of Oscar as an ignored, social gem. The same goes for May’s set, Rodirguez’s adaptation, and, of course, the cast. Edgar Sebastian emotes the inner beauty of Oscar; a young man wise and sweet enough to impact those around him with his brief, wondrous life. Rodriguez’s direction gives the novel a “5 People You Meet In Heaveb” vibe, except in this rendition it is the people Oscar impacted before he left for Heaven.
Peguerro as Yunior captures the character’s fierce humor and intelligence; showing the duality of a man who can go from poetic prose to Desus & Mero punchlines. Yet, duality is a theme as well throughout the novel’s live rendition. Sebastian’s Oscar is both sage and sad. Altagracia Nova’s Lola, Oscar’s sister, is both fiery and feeling dimmed, and the same can be said for Maite Bonilla’s Beli, who is steadfastly strong but quietly heartbroken. The power of Rodriguez’s adaptation is that he makes you realize the beauty of Oscar is that couldn’t lie about how he felt or who he was; he couldn’t act strong when he felt weak and he couldn’t pretend something was right when it was wrong. He was pure and honest, especially with his love, wants, and needs. Hence, it is no wonder he becomes impactful as a character to the crowd and as member to his family.
Areisleyda Lombert’s role as La Inca plays to the fantasy element of both the novel, and Rodriguez’s tapping into Latinx’s indigenous, racial, and mystic origins. For Rodriguez, Oscar’s personal dreaminess and Latinx’s culture of mysticism/ spiritualism are, in a way, intertwined; a symbol of a people with vision, constantly, being made unseen by others’ prejudice. Hence, it is no wonder, like Oscar, we look to our dreams or beyond for comfort; our bodies are what society holds back but our souls are what we let free. The fact that Rodriguez saw this point, in the book, and used it to elevate La Breve y Maravillosa Vida de Oscar Wao, to the stage, was so powerful that this two hour -play goes by like water washing your soul. La Breve y Maravillosa Vida de Oscar Wao plays until May 2020 and you can buy tickets HERE!
