Review: EL COQUÍ ESPECTACULAR AND THE BOTTLE OF DOOM at Teatro Paraguas

I love nerd theatre.

To elaborate, I love the subgenre of plays like She Kills Monsters (really, a few works by Qui Nguyen) that combine a typically "nerdy" interest (Dungeons and Dragons, in the case of She Kills Monsters; superheroes, in the play that is the topic of this review) with a smartly presented social commentary (and great stage combat, with a nice hero's journey for the play's protagonist to boot). The excellent El Coquí Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom, currently playing at Teatro Paraguas, is a fantastically playful production - both a love letter to and a slight sendup of the superhero genre.

El Coquí tells the story of Alex, a struggling comic book writer. He's out of work and is currently living with his mother in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn. He struggles with his identity - he mentions being "sorta Rican", but does not feel particularly connected to his Puerto Rican heritage. As a means of exploring a superhero character he has created (the titular El Coquí), Alex begins dressing up as the character and roaming the neighborhood, occasionally fighting crime, and occasionally getting beat up (the stage makeup for his injuries is really good, by the way). Photographer Yesica starts taking pictures of him in costume, and tries to convince Alex to use El Coquí (who begins to go viral) to fight gentrification. But when more capitalistic opportunities arise for El Coquí, Alex has a choice to make.

El Coquí has a clever, timely script by Matt Barbot (a reference to a villainous character being a SoundCloud rapper literally elicited a laugh and an "oh, no" from me). It directly calls out gentrification and racism, and subverts a lot of stereotypes from the superhero genre ("alright, enough of this damsel in distress bullshit," Yesica says at one point, when she and Alex/El Coquí team up to defeat a villain). It's sharp and incredibly funny, but has some truly lovely and sentimental moments, as well, particularly with Alex, his corporately inclined brother Joe and their widowed mother.

The already great script is elevated further by brilliant direction by Roxanne Tapia and a stellar, high energy cast. As Alex, Miles Blitch is great - he masterfully plays both the goofier elements of the character (El Coquí insists on using a Christian Bale-as-Batman voice) and the authentic desire for a sense of identity. Similarly great is Ricky Mars as dual villains El Chupacabra and Alex's high school bully, Junior. He is so deliciously over the top and charismatic, and even beyond his acting, Mars's fight choreography is very creative and endlessly entertaining. As Yesica (who reminded me a great deal of Karen Olivo in the Broadway production of In The Heights), Cristina Vigil provides a moral compass for Alex/El Coquí, and her direct, no BS demeanor is a great foil to Alex's tendency to waffle. Playing Alex's brother, Joe, Jake McCook in particular shines in his series of brief monologues where he gets more and more fed up with a progressively racist ad campaign. And last but certainly not least, Juliet Salazar stole scenes as Alex and Joe's mother. Her skill as a comedienne (not to give anything away, but the scene where she discovers Yesica in Alex's room is priceless) and dramatic actress were both well utilized in this production.

The play is impressive from a technical standpoint, as well. Director Roxanne Tapia and Alix Hudson conceived a very effective multi level set; Hudson's sound design is also fabulous. Skip Rapoport's lighting design is, per usual, excellent, and Bernadette Pena's costuming and Paola Vengoechea Martini's prop design both contribute greatly to the universe of makeshift superheroes in Brooklyn. Gina Trujillo, who contributed the awesome art of El Coquí, deserves a shoutout, as well.

Teatro Paraguas' El Coquí is an absolutely delightful production that is definitely worth seeing - for the Marvel fans out there, watching it as part of your preparation for Endgame (or, while I wouldn't recommend waiting until closing weekend to see it, watching it to cheer yourself up - because you will be cheered - after the inevitable emotional trauma that Endgame will produce might not be a bad idea, either). The show runs the rest of this weekend and next - this reviewer strongly recommends making seeing this one a priority, superhero fan or not, because it is not to be missed.

El Coquí Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom opened April 11th and runs Thursday - Sunday through April 28th at Teatro Paraguas (3205 Calle Marie). Tickets are available online at https://elcoqui.brownpapertickets.com, by phone at (505)424-1601, or at the door.

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