By Steve Barnes
“Evensong,” which is being given its world premiere by the Astoria Performing Arts Center, could not have a subject that is any more timely, provocative or pertinent to life in the so-called world’s borough.
Christina Quintana’s play tells the story of Teo, a young man who has moved to New York from Texas in search of a new life for himself. Working as bank teller, he is bright, good looking, energetic—and homeless. As “Evensong” opens, he is about to spend his first night in a church-run shelter presided over by Bob, a banker who volunteers at the shelter at least partly as a way of proving to himself and others that not all bankers are heartless. As the rules of the shelter are being set down, we become aware that a mutual attraction is brewing between the two, complicated by differences in social status and the heavy stigma that the homeless must live with.
The ways in which being labeled as homeless affect the lives of those without a place to call their own shape all of the events in the play. When Teo tells a co-worker that he is living in a shelter, the air of discomfort and embarassment that follows is powerfully realized. Even in his interactions with friends and family, Teo lets his shame about his situation put a wall between him and those he is closest to. In a call home to a friend, he keeps up the impression that he is living on his own in a loft space. He gives his grandmother a false address, leading to a package being sent to him at the apartment of a young couple whose lives become intertwined with his through a series of coincidences.
Since 2013, the playwright has volunteered at The Friends Shelter in Manhattan, and her understanding of the struggles the homeless go through is strongly conveyed in “Evensong.” From the desire for such seemingly mundane luxuries as a hot shower or a little privacy to the need to be seen as a person and not just a statistic, those struggles are expressed by a varied cast of sharply drawn characters. Quintana brings the small details of each person’s behavior together in a way that results in throughly believable individuals.
That understanding and sensitivity are just as apparent in her creation of characters who are not homeless. Whether it is a yuppie banker, a striving middle-class couple or the ghostly presence of Teo’s grandmother, the playwright brings a strong sense of humanity to each person, engaging the audience and driving the play’s message home.
She is greatly aided in that effort by a strong cast. In addition to Daniel Prado’s Teo and Chad Carstarphen’s Bob, Marie Louise Guinier gives a vivid performance as Gladys, one of Teo’s fellow shelter residents. Sai Somboon captures the personalities of three distinct characters, while Doug Rossi and Francis Mateo bring the roles of a panhandler/poet and a young teacher effectively to life. And in the roles of Rosa, the young woman who receives the package mailed to Teo, and of the grandmother who mailed the package, Arlene Chico-Lugo radiates warmth and stage presence.
The staging and lighting design of the play also contribute to its power—as does its setting. To place a story about a church-run shelter in a theater that is part of Good Shepherd United Methodist Church (30-44 Crescent St., Astoria) is perhaps little more than a coincidence, but for a story that hinges on both coincidence and the belief in the human spirit, it is a lucky one.
“Evensong” is running through Nov. 19. Showtimes are Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. For more information, go to apacn
