“Tell me a story,” I say to you.
“What about?”
“Tell me a story you have never told anyone before. Make it up for me…”
“The Stories of Eva Luna” is a magical adaptation for the stage of a selection of stories from the collection of the same name by the novelist, feminist and philanthropist Isabel Allende. Director Erin McBride Africa said, “We dove into the stories with a shared spirit of spelunkers, discovering how to bring some of the beating heart of this beautiful work onto the stage for audiences here in Marin.” What she and her cast and collaborators have achieved is transcendent.
On a stage adorned with powerful lines plucked from the stories, the talented cast of actors unfurl Allende’s words with grace and heart-rending emotion. The ensemble performs multiple roles, manipulates scenery changes with style and humor, transforms chairs into vehicles, recites poetry in Spanish and English between acts, and dazzles with dance moves.
The stories performed address difficult subjects—death, loss, nightmares, torture—as well as the sweetness of redemption, rebirth, love and second chances. Maya Giacomazzi effortlessly draws the audience into the show as Eva Luna in the “Prologue.” Lucas Nengo, as the Colonel in “Two Words,” is deeply moved by a message he’s been given. We can feel the harrowing pain of Blanca Chivichon in “Our Secret,” sense the powerful friendship between Jeannette West and Himi Khan in “The Schoolteacher’s Guest,” and catch the bond of a long-hidden love finally come to light between Ariana Giacomazzi and Adonis Reyes in “Letters of Betrayed Love.”
In “The Little Heidelberg,” Inverness’s own Skylar McMorrow, as Niña Eloisa, and Cynthia Palma as La Mexicana twirl effortlessly between waltz and polka while Alexandra Maliano provides joyous narration. Yaneli Cacho moves audiences as Azucena in “And of Clay We Are Created,” and her tragic plight is convincingly reported to the world by Vanessa Diaz.The music complements the words, and I swear I could smell mangos as we left the building.
Isabel Allende tells us stories—stories no one has told before. Stories made up just for us. The The College of Marin drama department has transformed those stories into living and breathing art, creating a memory to cherish. The play runs through this Sunday. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. May 20 and 21, and 2 p.m. on May 22. Tickets are free. Visit https://pa.marin.edu/blog/stories-eva-luna for information.