The soulful sounds, provocative images, and the inspirational true-to-life saga of a mother’s journey from El Salvador to America during the ’70s serve as the basis for a new musical, “Somewhere Over the Border” – the season opener for D.C.’s Mosaic Theater Company.
Written by playwright Brian Quijada, the award-winning co-curator and star of the off-Broadway hit “Mexodus,” the play debuts on Sept. 10 at the Atlas Performing Arts Center and runs through Oct. 4.
As the title suggests, the production offers a timely, fresh spin on Frank Baum’s classic “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” But this time, it’s not Dorothy from Kansas and her precocious dog Toto, who are whisked away amid the winds of a tornado to the fantastic, faraway land of Oz.
Instead, the play features Reina (Pepin), a mother and immigrant from El Salvador, who braves the arduous journey to America in search of a better life for herself and her son.
“Sure, I feel a lot like Dorothy from ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ but there’s so much more – so many different aspects to the character I portray,” Pepin said. “The scenes are spectacular and the music, which includes a variety of genres, is so beautiful and inspirational. I’ve never been part of a production like this before and I can’t wait to see how audiences respond.”
Along the way, audiences are invited to join Reina as she gathers new friends, stares down dangers, and holds fast to the memory of her child who she leaves behind while traveling north to the Mexican border to build a better life for them both in America.
As the play unfolds, audiences will be invited to join Reina and her growing assortment of friends, as they celebrate aspects of their culture that include everything from the folk dance and popular musical genre cumbia to the Mexican bolero, a style of slow, romantic song and dance focused on love and heartbreak.
“People who leave behind everything they know and everyone they love to travel to another country in hopes of a better life are often and unjustly viewed as less than human,” said Raymond O. Caldwell, director of “Somewhere Over the Border.” “This play takes issue with such notions and sets the record straight.”
Tapping Into the Soul of the Musical
While “Somewhere Over the Border” is a nod to “The Wizard of Oz,” for Quijada, the musical is also a way to pay homage to those who paved the way for where he is today.
“I could have never guessed a simple question to my mother about my brother’s father would have led to this remarkable journey of a show and sharing her story,” Quijada said. “‘The Wizard of Oz’ is one of my favorite books and movies and linking that story to such a personal one is my love letter to my family, my American identity, and the broader immigrant journey.”
Actor Camilo Linares drew inspiration from his own background when tackling the role of the narrator, pushing him ways he could not have imagined.
“As for my role as the narrator, I’ve found it to be more demanding than I expected,” he told The Informer. “I, too, am an immigrant, so I’ve faced some of the things that happen in the play. But as the narrator, I must sing, speak, rap, and don somewhere around 34 different personas. That said, it’s been the role of a lifetime.”
Pepin also considered her lineage when joining the production.
“Now, I want to sit down and talk with my grandmother, who immigrated to the U.S. from Puerto Rico in her 20s,” she said. “I want to understand how she faced the difficulties of learning a new culture, a new language – of embracing and adjusting to an entirely new way of life.”
After weeks of rehearsals and self-discoveries along the way, the cast and crew is ready for audiences to see the important tale come to life.
“We have a great chemistry that we’ve developed among the cast members and with each rehearsal it’s gotten better and better,” Linares said.
For Reginald L. Douglas, artistic director of Mosaic Theater Company, getting Quijada’s vision from the page to the stage was critical for audiences today.
“We open season 12 with this bright and whimsical new musical that reflects upon the resilience of the immigrant community with honesty and hope and affirms the power of believing in one’s dreams no matter how hard the odds,” Douglas said. “I am thrilled to help create this premiere production that I know will spark joy and empathy for audiences of all ages.”
In diving deep into the world of “Somewhere Over the Border,” the cast and Caldwell have used Quijada’s words to take audiences on their own journeys, allow for them to reflect and leave enlightened and entertained.
“Oftentimes what is left behind within conversations on a larger scale is the personal and the human,” Quijada said. “I hope audiences remember the humanity and compassion in all of us and reach a deeper awareness of how we’re not that different from one another.”
For tickets and more information, go to mosaictheater.org.
