Local Review: The Kids n Co. production of "Dolores"

   In honor of Dia de los Muertos ("Day of the Dead" in English), El Paso's Kids n Co presented a lovely show called Dolores, which is an original play that was written by Lluvia Almanza & Orlando Rodriguez. Dolores told the story of a young boy named Jose Luis, whose sister died of an illness (presumably cancer based off of dialogue in the show) and how he visits her in heaven and other spirits, all while we learn a little bit about Dia de los Muertos.

   Dolores was truly a wonderful little show that I truly enjoyed. The show's writing was quite exceptional and the cast did a wonderful job bringing the show to life. Director, Eurydice Saucedo, did a wonderful job casting all of the young talent in the show, in addition to making a very good use of the church that the show was performed in. The shows leads were played by Pilar Gutierrez (Dolores), Tyler Spoon (Jose Luis), Julia Davis (The show's main La Catrina), Aiden Aguirre (Juan, a mischievous spirit who leads Jose Luis to heaven), and Joanne Lopez-Padilla (The mother of Jose Luis). All of the principals were cast flawlessly and each and every one of them was unique in their own ways. In my opinion, this is probably one of the most well cast community theatre shows I have seen this year. I also must add that this review would not be complete if I did not mention the hysterical performances of Maximo Pearson and Zane Cumming who played the security guards at the cemetery where all of the very beautiful Day of the Dead alters (each alter was created by every single member of the cast) stood.

    Overall, Dolores was a splendid show that was very satisfying to watch. Almanza and Rodriguez' writing really was superb and there were plenty of moments during the show where I simply thought to myself, "That's good writing." I really hope this show gets done again sometime soon because it is absolutely worth audience's time and money.


 The Kids n Co Production of DOLORES was written by Lluvia Almanza & Orlando Rodriguez, was directed by Eurydice Saucedo, and the principal cast consisted of:
Dolores- PILAR GUTIERREZ
Jose Luis- TYLER SPOON
La Catarina- JULIA DAVIS
Juan- AIDEN AGUIRRE
Mama- JOANNE LOPEZ-PADILLA
Flower Vendor/Tia Juana- REBECCA CASTILLO
Security Guard 1- MAXIMO PEARSON
Security Guard 2- ZANE CUMMINGS
Mara Guadalupe- KARIME MELENDEZ
Miguel Angel- CARLOS SOTO

  
  

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