More and more these days, I find myself wishing an audience in addition to the one I am sitting around could see a show. Such was the case this past weekend with “Refuge,” a rather beautiful musical collage now at the Theo Ubique Theatre on Howard Street.
The show, cocreated by Satya Jnani Chávez and Andrew Rosendorf, is set on the border of Texas and Mexico and looks at the dangerous journey migrants attempt on a routine basis. The piece certainly is politically potent, as with all matters of immigration, but it’s not so much focused on policy or enforcement as the simple truth that desperate, hardworking families are dying of thirst, starvation and animal attacks as they attempt to traverse treacherous and unforgiving terrain.
“Refuge” does not demonize Texas ranchers (one is played by Bill Kalinak) or even border patrol agents (represented by Devon Carson). On the contrary, it actually makes the point that those with boots on this hard ground actually better understand the level of the humanitarian crisis unfolding on the Southern border; for those on the U.S. side, the biggest worry is whether or not the migrants will make it out alive.
And, of course, the show reflects the reality that most Americans want to help individuals in need if one such person stands directly before them.
The traditional Theo Ubique audience, more used to revues and Broadway fare, responded emotionally to this work on Sunday night, especially to how Carson’s Martina, pregnant herself, finds a baby dead in the desert, most likely a harbinger of further deaths to be discovered that day. The show notes an agonizing paradox in that the only hope for many of these migrants is being stifled in the dream that put them in harm’s way.
“Refuge” offers up a wall of rich sound, driven by a guitarist and lead musician named Laura Murillo Hart, who powerfully conducts the piece as she goes, even as pulsing puppet critters (Adolfo Romero is the designer) move on by and a wave of humanity fights the inhumane conditions. The story, which centers on the journey of Girl (Tatiana Bustamante), could use further development, especially in the last few minutes — the ending feels overly abrupt. But “Refuge” is only on its second production; it was first seen, with a different cast, at the Curious Theatre Company in Denver. Chavez and Rosendorf are planning future stagings in other cities.
The ensemble piece employs several languages but there is no barrier to understanding for anyone willing to listen. And you should know that, for all the sadness in the piece, it’s also humanistic and celebratory of diverse individuals, all under different kinds of stress.
I only wish the theater had been differently arranged: the audience seemed mostly plastered to the rear wall, when the piece suggests something far more experiential. More interaction would have served everyone. Even so, the ensemble sound still is dancing in my head two days later; it’s not so much about sticky melodies as about the harmonics.
Migrants, of course, are arriving daily in Chicago from Texas. Perhaps some of the local groups aiding them in their resettlement might also think of buying them tickets to a cathartic piece dedicated to musicalizing their struggles and endurance.
Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.
Review: “Refuge” (3 stars)
When: Through Nov. 13
Where: Theo Ubique Theatre, 721 Howard St., Evanston
Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
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Tickets: $45-$55 at 773-939-4101 or theo-u.com