The Day of the Dead has come and gone, but it’s not too late to
catch La Carpa del Ausente, the excellent Day of the Day show
running at the Milagro Theatre that doubles as an homage to the Latino
soldiers who fought in World War II.
The conceit here sounds scattershot at first: It’s a Day of the
Dead-themed, 1940s-style USO canteen show. Aaaaand it’s bilingual.
What?
In fact, though, as is usually the case with the Miracle Theatre
Group, the directorial vision is clear, and the production is elegant
and effective: La Carpa incorporates music, dance, and pantomime
in a very funny and moving tribute to Latino veterans, a group whose
contributions to the WWII military effort have often gone overlooked
(recently, during the making of PBS’ The War, Ken Burns added
interviews with Latino soldiers after critics drew attention to their
lack of representation). The show consists primarily of dance numbers
and short, comedic sketches that borrow heavily from the aesthetic of
the USO shows that entertained US troops during WWII. An undercurrent
of pathos (combined with the fact that the entire cast is wearing
traditional Day of the Dead face make-up) ground the show in a
recognition of the fact that for all the fun of the USO shows, they
were an attempt to distract soldiers from their daily participation in
the grim business of killing and being killed. Additionally, a simple
narrative thread unifies what would otherwise feel like an extended
vaudeville act.
I saw the show with a busload of Latino teenagers who seemed to
enjoy it as much as I did—the transitions between Spanish and
English are for the most part very smooth. It helps that the production
is very movement-oriented, making the most of the facial and physical
versatility of the cast and sticking to familiar motifs that don’t
require much in the way of verbal explanation.
The cast here is uniformly fantastic, whether cavorting and mugging
through high-spirited dance numbers, or dealing with themes of death
and loss. The ultimate strength of the production lies in its ability
to bring a light touch to heavy issues, to dabble in irreverence and
light-heartedness while still functioning as a sincere tribute to
Latino veterans.