Jordan Wright
February 15, 2020
Mother Road transports us into the world of John Steinbeck’s 1939 novel The Grapes of Wrath and the terrible tragedy of the Joad family. Playwright Octavio Solis picks up where the novel left off, leap-frogging the generations to provide us a glimpse into what life would be like for the modern-day Joads.
Cast of Mother Road. Photo by Margot Schulman.
In this telling, the eldest Joad, Will, who witnessed his sharecropper family perish during the Oklahoma Dust Bowl, is determined to pass the farm onto his next of kin to keep the farm in the Joad name. When he discovers his last remaining relative is his cousin Martin, a Chicano migrant worker, Will is forced to face his intolerance towards minorities. It’s a beautifully told story of personal challenges, dreams, redemption and respect.
(L to R) Mark Murphey (William Joad) and Tony Sancho (Martín Jodes). Photo by Margot Schulman.
Will and Martin meet in Arvin, California, Martin having been tracked down by Will’s attorney, Roger. Will tells Martin he will give him the Joad farm. No strings attached. On their road trip to the farm in Sallislaw, Oklahoma we learn of Amelia, Martin’s love, whom he leaves behind when he is arrested for defending a fellow migrant worker. As the men drive past rest stops, roadhouses and mile markers, Martin stops to pick up Mo, a salty-mouthed lesbian and fellow day laborer he envisions as forewoman on his soon-to-be inherited farm. Later they meet Ivy, a pretty waitress who knew the Joads before they left for California, and James, Martin’s African American friend, who has found God in the beauty of nature. In Martin’s old jalopy the disparate gang swap memories and jokes along the road. For Will it’s a life-changing epiphany as he comes to understand what it’s like to be black, Chicano or gay in today’s America.
Cast of Mother Road. Photo by Margot Schulman.
The day laborers face all manner of indignities and hardships – disease from chemicals, an uncertain future, the threat of not getting paid for their work, and the fear of arrest and ultimately deportation. To this day America’s meat, produce and farming industries would not survive without these migrant workers. More than half of all farm workers in the U. S. are undocumented. Mother Road shines an unblinking light into their struggles to survive in a harsh and intolerant world.
(L to R) Cedric Lamar (James/Cook), Amy Lizardo (Mo/Chorus), Mark Murphey (William Joad) and Tony Sancho (Martín Jodes). Photo by Margot Schulman.
Terrific performances by the entire cast and special kudos to Amy Lizardo as the outlandish Mo in a razor-sharp performance that brings light and levity to an otherwise serious subject.
(L to R) Kate Mulligan (Ivy/William’s Mother/Police Officer), Amy Lizardo (Mo/Chorus), Mark Murphey (William Joad) and Tony Sancho (Martín Jodes). Photo by Margot Schulman.
Directed by Bill Rauch; Set Design by Christopher Acebo; Costume Design by Carolyn Mazuca; Original Sound and Music by Paul James Prendergast; Dramaturgs Jocelyn Clarke and Tiffany Ana Lopez.
(L to R) Tony Sancho (Martín Jodes) and Natalie Camunas (Amelia/Chorus Leader). Photo by Margot Schulman.
With Tony Sancho as Martin Jodes; Mark Murphey as William Joad; David Anzuelo as Abelardo/Ranch Hand; Natalie Camunas as Amelia; Amy Lizardo as Mo; Ted Deasy as Roger/State Trooper/Ranch Hand/Will’s Father; Derek Garza as Curtis/Abelardo’s Father; Cedric Lamar as James/Cook/Fight Captain; Kate Mulligan as Ivy/Police Officer/William’s Mother.
Through March 8th at Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St., SE, Washington, DC 20024. For tickets and information call 202 488-3300 or visit www.ArenaStage.org.