Plenty of mothers and daughters sleep under the same roof for 16 years, and still, they don’t know one another at all.
Quiara Alegría Hudes’ joyful new comedy, “26 Miles,” takes that idea and runs with it like a stampede of buffalo. She offers a mother and daughter who have been estranged for eight years, involuntarily torn apart by a nasty custody dispute. So the volatile mother impetuously kidnaps her 16-year-old and takes her on a road trip to Yellowstone.
Cancel the Amber Alert. If ever a kid needed to get kidnapped, it’s Olivia Cruz . . . Jacobs?
Yes, theater tends not to take differences between characters and blend them down to subtleties. It tends to exaggerate them into polarities.
This odd couple could not be more different. Mother is a Cuban Protestant; daughter a half-Jewish bookworm. Mom’s into Santana; daughter prefers Chopin. Mom’s a fiery, irrational and hysterically profane bohemian; daughter is an introvert whose greatest adventure to date has been producing her own literary magazine.
The playwright’s intent is to establish that, in the absence of a mother, Olivia has become . . . well, her cautious Jewish dad. And it will take an unscheduled road trip for these two to discover they have some surprising commonalities that go far beyond Olivia’s latent Cuban blood.
One unexpected similarity is that both are facing mysterious medical situations, and for once in a play, you won’t guess what they are.
This modest and irresistible family drama plays out quite wonderfully at Curious Theatre under the thoughtful direction of Pesha Rudnick. Though it is quite funny, it will resonate with anyone who has been involved in a custody dispute.
The play’s greatest triumph is Beatriz, and Gabriella Cavallero’s marvelous portrayal of her. Frantic, foolish and unapologetically direct, Beatriz is one of the most original and refreshing matriarchs to come to any stage in a long, long time. Cavallero’s honest and open-armed performance is one to remember. When she yells, “What, you’ve never seen a crazy Cuban (bleep) before?” we’re hooked.
Though she’s a loose cannon, not for one instant do we not feel the desperate maternal instinct that’s propelling her. By comparison, the more ordinary, nerdy character of Olivia (Ana Nogueira) isn’t nearly as interesting.
This story pushes the speed limit as it plays out on the highway from Philadelphia to Yellowstone. Why Wyoming? That’s where Olivia’s father always promised he’d take her but never did. Now the girl is playing fifth fiddle to a never-seen evil stepmother.
Hudes, who also wrote the book for the Tony-winning musical “In the Heights,” paints some beautiful word images, but she’s also a little heavyhanded with multiple metaphors, notably a dubious opening speech about pickpockets. We get more talk about flight, discovery and exploration than we need (including the appearance of a Japanese mountain climber!), and there’s one unnecessary flashback.
After moving at 70 mph throughout, the play suddenly shifts to low gear and sputters to its ending. But this is a new play, and it will only get better with a little weeding.
It’s exciting to see another entirely new cast at Curious, including fine support work from Kevin Hart and Jose Antonio Mercado as the two husbands (and several others). Michael R. Duran outdoes himself with a set design that’s perfectly defined by the angles, slopes and sharp turns of a road trip.
The wisdom of “26 Miles” is its recognition that family pieces are like tectonic plates that are always shifting and never seem to fit together as neatly as a jigsaw puzzle.
In the end, it’s a loving little lesson about following the road not (first) taken.
John Moore: 303-954-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com
26 Miles” *** (out of four stars)
Road-trip comedy. Curious Theatre, 1080 Acoma St. Written by Quiara Alegría Hudes. Directed by Pesha Rudnick. Starring Ana Nogueira, Gabriella Cavallero, Kevin Hart and Jose Mercado. Through June 20. 1 hour, 45 minutes, no intermission. 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. $24-$37 (2-for-1 Thursdays). 303-623-0524 or
This weekend’s bet bet
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What’s left for the innovative Buntport Theater ensemble to tackle? How about mud wrestling? Buntport will perform its original adaptation of Nikolai Gogol’s short story entirely in a 12 foot by 19 foot mud pit. It’s a yarn about how swiftly two inseparable friends can be separated.
It is, literally, Buntport’s filthiest comedy to date.
“We’re going to be advertising on all of the professional wrestling channels,” joked actor Evan Weissman, part of a team that has written and staged more than 25 original plays.
The catalyst here is an absurd argument, and Weissman said the play explores how “a lot of strange formality takes place in the way people interact.” He says it is funny and sad, wickedly funny “and with a tinge of sadness to it as well.”
“The Squabble” opens tonight and plays 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, plus 2 p.m. June 1 and 14, at 717 Lipan St. $13-$16 (720-946-1388 or
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This weekend’s other theater openings
“Damn Yankees”
In this 1955 musical variation of the Faust legend, the devil offers a middle-aged fan of the Washington Senators baseball team the chance to turn into young baseball star Joe Hardy. Songs include “You Gotta Have Heart.” Through July 5. Jesters Dinner Theatre, 224 Main St., Longmont, 303-682-9980 or
“Kimberly Akimbo”
David Lindsay-Abaire’s wild adventure about a suburban New Jersey teenager with a rare condition causing her body to age faster than it should. Through June 14. Vintage Theatre, 2119 E. 17th Ave., 303-839-1361 or
Monty Python’s “Spamalot”
The national touring production of “Spamalot” is back to taunt Denver a second time. This time, with John O’Hurley as King Arthur, the principled, if idiotic, leader of the quest for the Holy Grail. He’s best known as catalog maven J. Peterman on “Seinfeld.” Through Sunday. Buell Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets, 303-893-4100 or
“Oscar and Felix”
Neil Simon’s classic comedy about two divorced men sharing an apartment, but with a twist: Simon has updated the story, with Felix and Oscar played by two black men, Hugo Jon Sayles and Jeffrey Nickelson. Through June 14. Shadow Theatre, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora, 720-857-8000 or
“The Seagull”
Anton Chekhov’s four-act play about the search for love, and the personal tragedies that occur when love remains unrequited. Through May 30. Presented by Upstart Crow at the Dairy Center, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder, 303-444-7328 or
Compiled by John Moore
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Running Lines at the Denver Public Schools’ Shakespeare Festival
This week, John Moore takes you along to the largest student Shakespeare Festival in the country. More than 4,000 school kids participated in the May 8 festival throughout downtown Denver. Run time: 10 minutes.Coming soon to .
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