THEATER REVIEW
Some call the Los Angeles River the “secret river,” a rare section in the heart of the inner city that the Army Corps of Engineers couldn’t tame. It’s directly across from this unlikely place that “Touch the Water,” Julie Hebert’s play, is having its world premiere.
A mix of contemporary characters, live music and Native American myth, “Water” is the fourth offering in Cornerstone Theater’s Justice Cycle, a series examining the effects, both positive and adverse, of specific laws on communities.
The busy but serviceable story revolves primarily around Luis (Cornerstone regular Shishir Kurup), a recently paroled alcoholic, and longtime river resident Isa (Page Leong), who is emotionally ravaged by her younger brother’s gang murder.
More eclectic subplots involve a poisoned sea turtle (Joel Jimenez) and a Native American ghost, embodied by Nadia Reed’s striking puppet design and voiced by Laural Meade, the strongest singer in the show.
The outstanding design elements, particularly Darcy Scanlin’s remarkable set, augment the beautiful natural setting. The play was created in collaboration with sources too numerous to name, including residents and biologists, and the cast includes professional actors and “community participants,” a mix reflected in the uneven performances.
Many oars have been stuck into this “Water,” but director Juliette Carrillo helms the disparate crew masterfully in this unabashedly didactic production, which is not so much a play as a clarion call to environmental action.
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‘Touch the Water’
Where: Cornerstone Theater at Bowtie Parcel in the Rio de Los Angeles State Park, L.A.
When: 8 p.m. Wednesdays to Sundays. Ends June 21.
Price: Suggested donation $20
Contact: (213) 613-1700, Ext. 37, or www.cornerstonetheater.org
Running time: 1 hour, 50 minutes
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