Which time?…
So quipped Johanna Carlisle-Zepeda as Maestra— the matriarch of the Brooklyn home where Canciones is staged—when asked why her daughter was so upset.
We give her knowing nods, even though we’ve just met this family for less than 1/2 hour. Though her daughter Ely (played by Cristina Contreras) fusses to keep her heart-diseased mother from too much excitement, she does nothing but create stress when her prodigal sister, Kati (played by Sara Ornelas), returns for the day, renewing the sibling rivalry that Maestra confides has been there since Day 1.
Carlisle-Zepeda, Cristina Contreras, and Sara Ornelas wear their characters as a newfound skin, as does the entire seven member cast. They are our new familia. It doesn’t matter which family member you talk to— and in this immersive play it is somewhat random whom you encounter—- you learn immediately that everything happening at this family dinner has a deep back story. We swim in a sea of rivalries, hurts, shared loss, and also shared pride in Mexican heritage.
Who are we? Most of us are favorite cousins. This status means we opted to sport buttons that id us as such when we arrived. These buttons signal to the cast that we are up for interacting with them in this whole house telenova drama.
CANCIONES Enchants With Song
This telenova though is above all musical.
Guitar, violin, mandolin and golden chords—music is their family glue. From high-spirited to muted love songs that telegraph longing, the gringos and gringas in the room/s get a quick course on mariachi music. We learn that it was the music of campfire gatherings during Pancho Villa’s time and beyond. The family’s classic mariachi costume — traje de charro, or charro for short— was worn for many generations by forbears recognized for their mariachi skill. In Canciones, this charro is a symbol of the family’s heritage and their battling interpretations of what matters most. SPOILER ALERT: When Nina (played by Mayelah Barrera) emerges wearing this family heirloom — a beautiful sight to behold, and even more so when she sings— we get what all the fuss is about.
It’s the music though — and especially the delicious harmonies that Contreras performs with her husband (Julio, played by Chino Ramos) and her sister (played by Sara Ornelas) that are THE treasure for us, the visiting favorite cousins. By the end of the meal— and btw, it’s delicious food too— we are all in the living room and dining room of this small house. The cast performs like surround sound. We are immersed in this music— in ways that even the best noise cancelling headsets can’t mimic.
We don’t want this concert to end.
We have fallen in love with our newfound family. We feel that we know them. We know we will miss them…
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
CAST:
Mayelah Barrera, Johanna Carlisle-Zepeda, Kai An Chee, Cristina Contreras, Sara Ornelas, Chino Ramos, Sammy Rivas
CREATIVE TEAM:
Rebecca Martínez (Co-Creator/Director), Julián Mesri (Co-Creator/Composer), Beto O’Byrne (Co-Creator), Sara Ornelas (Co-Creator), Meropi Peponides (Co-Creator), Raul Abrego (Production Design), Tye Hunt Fitzgerald (Sound Design), María-Cristina Fusté (Lighting Design), Christopher Vergara (Costume Design), tbd casting co. (Casting)
WHEN:
May 2 – 24, 2026
WHERE:
A private home in Flatbush
Brooklyn
TICKETS:
$35+
For more information and tickets visit the Radical Evolution website.
Photos: Ash Marinaccio
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About the Author: Amy Munice
Amy Munice is Editor-in-Chief and Co-Publisher of Picture This Post. She covers books, dance, film, theater, music, museums and travel. Prior to founding Picture This Post, Amy was a freelance writer and global PR specialist for decades—writing and ghostwriting thousands of articles and promotional communications on a wide range of technical and not-so-technical topics.
