Somewhere
Review by Ernest Goes To The Theatre/Ernest Edwards
Last night I braved the cold Minnesota temperatures and windchills to see the play Somewhere at the Guthrie Theater. It’s a play written by Matthew Lopez. It contains some dance and some music. This production is directed by Joseph Haj, with choreography by Maira Garcia, scenery by Lex Liang, Costumes by Alejandro Victti, Lighting Design by Caroline Ortiz Herrera, and Sound Design by John Gromeda.
The play focuses on the Candelaria family. They are Puerto Rican family living in the San Juan Hills neighborhood of New York City/Manhattan. The first act takes in the Summer of 1959. The second Act takes place during the Summer of 1960 in Spanish Harlem. The Candelaria family lives in the area between 59th Street and 70th Street. The San Juan Hill area was demolished/urban renewal to build Lincoln Center. The neighborhood is also known as Lincoln Square. This neighborhood being demolished has been documented in both of the West Side Story movies.
The Candelaria family is lead by matriarch Inez Candelaria. She works multiple jobs to help bring in funds. Eldest son Alejandro Candelaria, has appeared on Broadway. He has also given up on his dancing career to take jobs and ensure the family has a roof over their head. Francisco Candelaria is the middle child who is taking acting lessons. Rebecca Candelaria is taking dancing lessons. There is also family friend Jamie, who the Candelaria family took in as one of their own. Jamie is now working for the famous Broadway choreographer Jerome Robbins. This family loves the theater. They have a turn table, records, posters of Broadway shows on the walls of their one bedroom apartment. This family is full of music, dance, and life. Alejandro was one of the children in the King and I on Broadway. Inez loves Chita Rivera in West Side Story. Inez and Rebecca also really like Ethel Merman in Gypsy. This family is where inspiration comes from. Their love of their culture, family, music, and the American dream.
We also learn that the father is traveling musician. As the play goes one, it is discovered they no longer have a a good address for him. It does feel like they have been abandoned by him.
During the summer of 1959, the family given a 30 day notice to vacate the premises. As the City has declared San Juan Hill a slum and demolition will begin soon. Inez wants to ignore it and pretend it’s not happening. Alejandro learns that folks from at least 62nd Street up to 67th Street have all received the same notices. I’ve heard it referenced before that by the time the film version of West Side Story came in out in 1961 that the West Side/San Juan Hill neighborhood depicted in the musical no longer existed.
Act two finds the Candelaria family now in a smaller apartment in Spanish Harlem on Manhattan. Live is not better. Francisco is beat up almost every day. Then as a ray of light. Part of the West Side Story movie is being filmed at a nearby park. They ran in Jamie. Inez, Rebecca and Francisco are extras in the background of a scene. Then a Shark’s girl breaks her ankle. Rebecca auditions and get’s cast in the movie. She has to go to Los Angeles for two months. She get’s to dance with Rita Moreno. Side bar, Inez did not like that Chita Rivera didn’t get to the do the movie. Just held a grudge against Rita Moreno.
Matthew Lopez has written a wonderful script. When rehearsals began in November, The Guthrie Theater hosted An Evening With Matthew Lopez that I was able to attend. It was great hearing him speak about this play and his career as a writer. This play is like historical fiction. The family is fiction, but the events around the San Juan Hill being demolished did happen.
I also liked the scenery for this play. The cast really did a good job staying within the confines of the apartment. They only ventured out of the delineation of the apartment of some fantasy/dream like moments. There was power outage with a week before the 30 days were up. They city had turned off the electricity to the neighborhood. And then the sound affects and special affects to mimic the wrecking balls working in the neighborhood gave it an authentic feel to the neighborhood being demolished.
Between the script, the designs, and the cast, this was really heartwarming play. There’s still time to catch it. Somewhere plays at the Guthrie through Sunday February 1, 2026. Check out www.guthrietheater.org for tickets.
Photo of the stage before the play begins. Photo taken by Ernest Edwards
