“The desert is no place for the restless; there are no dreamers here, for you cannot drink dreams,” says the character Sophie in the play “Nosotros la Gente.”
“Nosotros La Gente” (We the People, for those of you who haven’t been keeping your Duolingo streaks alive) is a new original work by B Street Theatre Executive Producer and playwright Jerry Montoya that explores big themes like dreams, duty, love, sacrifice and resilience.
Inspired by Montoya’s family history and rooted in the Coachella Valley in the 1940s, the play watches love, dreams and lives bloom and wither in the desert sun and the shadow of World War II. When Santiago (Jaime José Hernández) becomes one of the first men from the valley to enlist in the military before American involvement in WWII, his partner Sophie (Andrea San Miguel) and his brother Salvador (Arusi Santi) continue their lives in the valley, waiting for his return.
The story that unfolds over “Nosotros La Gente” in its two-hour-or-so runtime is personal and sincere, with a warmth that avoids veering into saccharine sentimentality. The script successfully walks a tightrope tonally, where serious moments are softened by instances of levity without that lightness undermining or devaluing the weight of the situation at hand.
By picking a story so close to home, Montoya cultivates a story where each character feels authentic because they were real people. The authenticity of those characters is in no small part aided by fantastic performances by all three cast members, who breathe life into their roles beautifully.
Hernández exudes the exuberance of a young man ready to carve out the shape of his life, in love with Sophie and the future he sees before him; by the time Santiago is deployed, his absence from the stage is felt not just by the remaining characters but the audience as well. Santi brings a quiet warmth to Salvador that is immediately familiar, like looking at a picture of someone’s abuelo while they are still young and in the prime of their life.
It feels hard to imagine the witty and deeply-loving Sophie being played by anyone other than San Miguel, whose voice, physicality and aura bring to life a woman who can comfortably stand up for herself and what she thinks; the script provides every performer moments to get a laugh, but San Miguel’s impeccable timing puts her as the frontrunner in that category.
From the first moments of the play, the audience is pulled in; not into the story — not yet — but into a feeling. As stars shine in the California sky (or, at least, are projected on the minimalist set’s backdrop), Salvador strums his guitar while he whistles a plaintive tune that carries a depth of meaning and emotion that words could not have encapsulated in such a short moment. The tune weaves a delicate magic, priming the audience for the experience yet to come like a tone poem. Director Lyndsay Burch utilizes wordlessness to great effect in multiple spots throughout the show, using excellent choreography as visual metaphor to move the story forward.
The opening is only one instance of poetry-like beauty that pervades the play like palm trees in the desert. Scenes are often set by characters speaking past the fourth wall with soliloquies that almost feel as though they are family stories, rehearsed through decades of retelling. The language in these moments often borders on outright poetry, with a lyricism to the language that often returns to themes of dreams and the desert.
For those potentially intimidated by the Spanish-language title, have no fear: The play is primarily in English, with just enough Spanish dialogue included that any Californian will have no trouble keeping up.
Though there are a couple false stops toward the end of the play, which may have the audience thinking the story is about to wrap up when, in fact, there is another 10 minutes to go, the actual end feels justified and provides much-needed closure.
The play runs for about two hours, with an intermission between acts. “Nosotros La Gente” plays through May 18; Tuesdays 6:30 p.m., Wednesdays 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., Thursdays 7 p.m., Fridays 8 p.m., Saturdays 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., Sundays 2 p.m. 2700 Capitol Ave. B Street Theatre.
This story is part of the Solving Sacramento journalism collaborative. This story was funded by the City of Sacramento’s Arts and Creative Economy Journalism Grant to Solving Sacramento. Following our journalism code of ethics, the city had no editorial influence over this story. Our partners include California Groundbreakers, Capital Public Radio, Outword, Russian America Media, Sacramento Business Journal, Sacramento News & Review, Sacramento Observer and Univision 19. Sign up for our “Sac Art Pulse” newsletter here.
By Odin Rasco
