It is only fitting that the opening night of The Delicate Tears of the Waning Moon on May 3rd at the Latino Theater Company landed on World Press Freedom Day because this extraordinary and devastating work of art written by Rebeca Alemán (who also plays the main character) is an unforgettable tribute to journalism and to all the journalists who have lost their lives telling the truth. This is a play that is so startling and spellbindingly beautiful that it will stay with you long after you leave the theatre.
A taut psychological drama, The Delicate Tears of the Waning Moon is set in 2019 somewhere in Latin America. Somewhere in a country immersed in violence and corruption, a world where cruelty is habit, impunity is routine, liberty is utopian and revealing the truth poses the greatest danger of all. Alemán stars as Paulina, a human rights journalist and advocate for victims of femicide and indigenous communities. After surviving a vicious attack that left her in a coma, Paulina struggles to regain her memory. With fellow journalist Rodrigo (Eric K. Roberts) at her side, she must painstakingly piece together the truth in order to demand justice. Based on true events, this powerful and poetically stirring drama addresses the relentless violation of human rights against journalists who strive to report the truth.
Eric K. Roberts and Rebeca Alemán
In association with the Water People Theater, The Delicate Tears of the Waning Moon is an astounding two-hander that captures your attention from the very first second and refuses to let you go until its bittersweet end. This is made entirely possible by Rebeca Alemán and Eric K. Roberts who are so compelling and so endearing as Paulina and Rodrigo respectively. The first ten minutes is silent acting at its finest as the physical elements and emotions conveyed were utterly heartbreaking without a single word even needed to be said out loud. Once these two characters do speak, we are right there with Paulina as she tries to piece together her memories and remember what happened that resulted in her severe brain injury and we are there with Rodrigo who harbors a tragic secret that drives him to constantly be there for Paulina.
I’ve never been so moved and broken by a play script in such a long time and while majority of that credit obviously goes to playwright Alemán for crafting such exquisite words, I must applaud director Iraida Tapias for her gorgeous work in shaping this play. It is through Tapias’ vision and trust in her actors that she guides them through some incredibly delicate and vulnerable moments that move, feel, and act in such a way that it’s as if I am watching something so achingly human but also as if art itself came to life in its words, movement, music, and visuals.
There’s only so many other words I can use to shower praises upon this show but know that this piece is an invaluable reminder of our times and the strength of the human spirit. It is also a battering ram that pulls no punches so be absolutely prepared for such a force if you somehow thought that this would be a casual lighthearted fare in the theatre world. No, this is the kind of essential theatre that reminds you what humans are willing to sacrifice to tell the truth and the sheer cost of doing so.
When it becomes pieced together that the journalism Paulina is pursuing that has resulted in her tragic state is tied to reporting about the murdered journalists who were investigating the displacement of the Venezuelan Indigenous population, I could not help but think of Palestine. In the past 18 months, Israel has killed at least 216 journalists and media workers in Gaza, a number that far exceeds the journalists who were killed in World War I and II combined. They have bombed media tents, burning journalists alive. They have shot and killed journalists in visibly marked press vests and they have bombed the homes of journalists, killing them and their entire families sheltering inside. The worst part of all of this? All of these are live documented and those who dare speak the truth are either killed or blacklisted/doxxed/threatened anywhere else in the world.
“I walked through streets that no longer exist
I feel for myself and for all others,
who live in this world that is turning to dust”
When Paulina uttered those words above, I just lost it. As critics, I know it is our objective duty to review works solely as they are without drawing on the connected political and human threads, but like her, I feel for myself and for the murdered Palestinian journalists who risked everything to tell the truth. I see the Gaza streets that no longer exist, the buildings that have turned into dust, the bodies that have been burned, mangled, shot, and torn apart, the children who only know of fear and pain, and I grieve for our humanity and what it will take to effect a systemic change that not only frees the Palestinian people but make the western world understand that an oppressed people’s resistance does not justify extermination.
Latino Theater Company has without a doubt saved the best of their 40th anniversary spring season for last as this play is a powerful masterpiece that must be seen by all. It is theatre that needs to be shared far and wide for its message will always resonate because oppression’s worst enemy is the truth and journalists are the beacons that refuses to dim their brightness of their fire. It is also a reminder to us all that we must not be afraid of telling the truth and say when something is wrong in other parts of the world even if the world will go out of their way to declare you as the enemy. May this piece be that inspiration to light that fire equally within us.
The Delicate Tears of the Waning Moon
• Written by Rebeca Alemán
• Directed by Iraida Tapias
• Starring Rebeca Alemán and Eric K. Roberts
• Produced by The Latino Theater Company in association with Water People Theater
WHEN:
• Previews: May 1 and May 2
• Performances: May 3 – May 25
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 4 p.m.
WHERE:
The Los Angeles Theatre Center
514 S. Spring Street
Los Angeles CA 90013
PARKING:
• $8 with box office validation at Los Angeles Garage Associate Parking structure, 545 S. Main St., Los Angeles, CA 90013 (between 5th and 6th Streets, just behind the theater)
• Metered parking available on streets surrounding the theater.
• Take the Metro: nearest stop is Pershing Square (two blocks west of The LATC)
TICKET PRICES:
$10-$48 (except opening night)
• Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (except opening night, May 3): $48
• Students, Seniors, Veterans and LAUSD teachers: $24 with valid ID
• All Thursday night performances and previews: $10
• Opening night (May 3): $75 (includes post-performance reception)