At The Engineer's (Red Concepcion's) brothel, Chris (Anthony Festa) falls fast and hard for the “innocent” girl Kim (Emily Bautista.) There is a beautiful, romantic sincerity to this bonding, set against the cacophony of the jagged end of the war — with very impressive singing, especially from Mr. Festa.
Yes, there IS a well done helicopter effect communicated through projection, sound and a real, climb-in-able helicopter cabin — and the other iconic scene, The American Dream, was gleefully/lustfully, beautifully delivered by The Engineer, Mr. Concepcion, who was excellent, throughout, weaving that thread of greed and exploitation and sleazy charm that kept him afloat no matter what country/party was in power.
Ms. Bautista was sweet but strong as Kim, the fierce mother, determined to give her son a better life in America. Tonight we saw the adorable Ryder Khatiwala as son Tam, playing a three-year-old. Three other youngsters alternate in the role: Jace Chen, Tyler Dunn and Fin Moulding. This role is well choreographed so this child, on stage quite a bit, is held and managed by the adults, so the role can be effectively played by a very young actor, and thus becomes almost a prop — a sweet, small, innocent symbol for the Universal Child we all love.
You can catch this tragic but hopeful, powerful show through Sunday at the Wharton Center.
http://www.whartoncenter.com