Welcome to Arroyo's
Back in the day, when the original hip-hop DJs "turned it out without a doubt," one of them may have been a Boricua, a Puerto Rican woman called "Reina Rey" ("queen king"). A month ago, Allejandro (Andres Munar) and Amalia's (Amirah Vann) mother died. She ran Arroyo's, a popular deli in the Lower East Side. Allejandro wants to commemorate her by turning the deli into a lounge; tough Amalia, who even "hates people she likes" and punches a rookie cop (Byron Bronson) twice, just wants to make art, i.e. graffiti. Lelly Santiago (Tala Ashe), a prolix grad student, theorizes that A&A's mother was Reina Rey, which comes as news to both and complicates their grieving. If Kristoffer Diaz's play were staged just for its bare bones, except for electric dialogue, it wouldn't amount to much. But an engaging theatricality trumps the tale. Two DJs (Wade Allain-Marcus and CQ) comment on the action and sustain a party atmosphere throughout (only persistent problem: the cast often addresses small portions of the audience at the White, leaving the rest to wonder what they said; another: if strong language offends you, steer clear). Directed by Jamie Castaneda, the piece also has a generous spirit; a positive ending's never in doubt, and the answers to some questions are none of your business.
Worth a try.
When
Ongoing until Sunday, October 31, 2010
Hours
| Sundays, 2pm & 7pm |
| Tuesdays, 7pm |
| Wednesdays, 7pm |
| Thursdays, 8pm |
| Fridays, 8pm |
| Saturdays, 2pm & 8pm |