A 20something Korean-American taco stand owner finds himself on the receiving end of a Chicana influencer’s social media campaign against gentrification in Joel Ulloa’s hilarious, conversation-starting culture-clash comedy Tacos La Brooklyn, thrillingly staged at the Los Angeles Theatre Center by Latino Theater Company in association with East West Players.

However it’s not just Chino’s Underground Tacos that has Yesenia Tapia (Esperanza América) up in arms.

There’s also the lowrider scene in Nagoya, Japan, where Benjiro (Paul Dateh), Whisper (Ariel Kayoko Labasan), and Mariko a.k.a. Little Triste (Sayaka Miyatani) do their best to emulate their East L.A. counterparts in flannel shirts, tats, and borrowed vocabulary.

Still, what Yesenia deems a more serious threat to Chicano culture lies a lot closer to home, at the L.A. River Night Market to be precise, where the decidedly not Latino Chino (Gavin K. Lee) prepares and serves what he proudly maintains is “the best barbacoa in all of L.A., estilo Hidalgo. The real shit. Roasted underground and overnight for the perfect bite.”

What Yesenia doesn’t know is that Chino, far from being a yuppie invader, is a bona fide product of East L.A., raised since childhood by Don Agapito (Sal Lopez), a Mexican-American taco vendor persuaded by neighbor Lencha (Alejandro Flores) to take pity on a preteen foster home abuse victim and give him not just a loving home but an education in slow-cooking barbacoa the old-fashioned Mexican way.

Completing the cast are dessert confectioner Monse (Zilah Mendoza) and fellow food vendor Mike (Xavi Moreno), who sells the juiciest pulled pork in town at the stand he calls CaliMeats side by side with Monse’s Dulces and Chino’s Underground Tacos.

Monse’s and Mike’s more modest dreams, however, pale in comparison with those of Chino, who’s saving every dollar he earns in hopes of converting a rundown burger joint on Avenida Cesar Chavez into a classy Taco restaurant catering to an upscale clientele.

Unfortunately for the locals in Boyle Heights and East L.A., by using only “ingredients that respect the earth, processed the old-fashioned way,” Chino has priced his tasty wares out of their buying range, and that’s precisely what’s got @Yesenia_Tapia_92 armed for all-out war.

Let the battles begin.

Pablo Santiago’s downright dazzling lighting (which production stills scarcely hint at), Hsuan-Kuang Hsieh’s equally thrilling projections, and John Zalewski’s pulse-pounding sound design signal from the get-go that Tacos La Brooklyn will be anything but run-of-the-mill.

Not only that, but Ulloa’s insightful, even-handed script, one that sees validity in both Chino’s pursuit of the American Dream and Yesenia’s passionate social media campaign against cultural appropriation and gentrification, is sure to inspire more than a few post-performance discussions on the way home from downtown.

Director Fidel Gomez brings out the very best in Ulloa’s words, spoken not just in English but in fluent Spanish and Japanese (with accompanying supertitle translations), and in the performances he has elicited from an all-around sensational cast.

Rising star Lee does electrifying, heartfelt work as a young man whose life was given meaning by a couple of warmhearted strangers (Lopez and Flores, both superb), Mendoza and Moreno make for the most engaging of scene partners as Chino’s fellow food stand owners, rivals, and friends, and América is on fire as a young woman whose mission is as on point as it may be misdirected where Chino is concerned.

Dateh, Labasan, and Miyatani are all three absolute delights as Nagoyan lowriders in addition to delivering delicious cameos as both customers and commenters; and singer-guitarist Jesus “Chuy” Perez charms vocally throughout the show as “El Músico.”

Natalie Morales’s gray-toned urban set transforms quickly and efficiently into assorted colorful locales thanks to Santiago’s lighting, Hsieh’s projections, various food stands and other set pieces, Valerie Vega’s just-right props, and Maria Catarina-Copelli fabulous array of colorful costumes.

Last but not least, Urbanie Lucero’s movement direction adds rapper-ready dance moves to the mix.

Casting is by Iliana Carter Cervantes. Richard Azurdia are Andrea Negrete are understudies.

Nicolas Ruano is assistant director. Jessica Veronica Rodriguez is assistant set designer. Alexa Wolfe is stage manager and Vega is assistant stage manager. My Fei is production manager. Lucy Pollak is publicist.

Both a droll commentary on social media influencers and a perceptive examination of what differentiates appropriation from a genuine appreciation of another culture, Tacos La Brooklyn scores an absolute bullseye from start to finish.

That it’s entertaining and exhilarating as all get-out is icing on the cake.

The Los Angeles Theatre Center (LATC), 514 South Spring Street, Los Angeles.
www.latinotheaterco.org

–Steven Stanley
October 12, 2023
Photos: Grettel Cortes Photography

Tags: East West Players, Joel Ulloa, Los Angeles Theater Review, Los Angeles Theatre Center, The Latino Theater Company