|
 
Cafe sobriety
"Dream Star Cafe" is the melancholy but not altogether satisfying drama of three orphaned bar owners who are about to lose the family business.
By ROBIN EISGRAU
Offoffoff.com
Uncertainty about the future and questions about the past are the underlying
themes of "Dream Star Cafe." In this play, three thirtysomething orphans who
own a western-themed bar in Waukegan, Illinois, grapple with the harsh fact that the building that houses their bar and their living quarters is being sold. They don't have the money to buy the place and keep it and are unsure as to where they're going to end up.
|
| DREAM STAR CAFE | Written by: Jack Agueros.
Directed by: Crystal Field.
Cast: Elizabeth Ruf, Michael Vasquez, Primy Rivera, Dalia Ruiz.
| | SCHEDULE | Theater for the New City
155 First Ave.
Jan. 31 - March 3, 2002
|
| |
As the day of the sale draws near, they cope
in different ways. Quique (Michael Vasquez) throws himself into
his electrical apprenticeship, Ginger (Elizabeth Ruf) holds down
the fort at the bar and dreams of Mr. Right taking her away from it all, and
Sara (Dalia Ruiz) succumbs to depression and sleeps a lot.
One day, a mysterious Latino stranger walks into the bar stating that he wants
to buy the place. He and Ginger are attracted to each other, but something's
wrong. He turns out to be Sara and Quique's long-lost father — a fact that
does not sit well with the two "orphans," who must now deal with the harsh
truths of their past.
"Dream Star Cafe's" potential gets tripped up by the
lack of chemistry among the actors. It doesn't really seem like the three
orphans have been friends for most of their lives. The actors try very hard,
though, and they deserve credit for that. Primy Rivera stands out by seeming
very natural and comfortable in his role and he saves the day here. On the
whole, a visit to "Dream Star Cafe" may leave you thirsty.
|
FEBRUARY 12, 2002
OFFOFFOFF.COM • THE GUIDE TO ALTERNATIVE NEW YORK
Reader comments on Dream Star Cafe:
Hi from Shakela Blackman, Nov 16, 2006
Post a comment on "Dream Star Cafe"
|
|
|
