Cleveland Public Theatre’s ‘El Coquí Espectacular’ is super fun...and

Alex (Alejandro Martinez Jr.) is a “sorta-rican” (a second generation mix blood Puerto Rican) living in the Sunset Park Barrio of Queens in New York. The area is undergoing gentrification as upper middle-class and wealthy people are moving in with changes involving renovation and rebuilding. The small neighborhood tiendas (convenient stores) are rapidly disappearing and being replaced by upscale restaurants and coffee shops as tenements are changed over to high scale loft apartments.

Alex is a struggling comic book artist tempted by the thought of a steady job. He lives at home with his mother, Patricia (Alisha Caraballo) who misses the days when neighbors gathered on their stoops to drink coffee and share gossip. Alex’s father was a New York City policeman who was heroically killed while on duty.

At night, Alex puts on a home-made super hero costume along with an elaborate mask and goes out into the streets as “El Coquí Espectacular” (the spectacular tree frog) to battle the local thugs and to find inspiration for his writings. The problem is he is not very good at fighting and ends up getting heavily beat up and bruised. While in costume and mask, Alex fights an imaginary foe, El Chupacabra (Roxana Bell) as well as a real high school nemesis, Junior (Roxana Bell). While on patrol one night, Alex runs into Yesica (Nathalie Bermudez), a Latina photographer who wants to document El Coquí’s exploits and post them on social media.

Alex’s brother Joe (Angelluis R. Centeno) works for a large advertising firm. On the strength of listening to Raggaeton music at his cubical he has been chosen as the token Latino. His problem is that other than his music choices he has little knowledge of the language or culture. His agency has landed a huge contract for a new sugar and caffeine packed soft drink called “Spicy Cinnamon Voltage” that is being heavily marketed to the Latino community (in spite of the high percentage of diabetes in this ethnic group). Joe sets out on a crash language and culture course in order to learn how to be more Puerto Rican and be better able to represent “his” people.

As El Coquí’s social media fame grows, Joe has an idea. Why not hire Alex to write a comic book about the crime fighter sponsored by Voltage while making an appearance on a float at the annual Puerto Rican Parade in New York City. Of course, with corporate America being as it is the comic book is heavily altered to feature the soft drink with far less content about the masked crusader. Instead of cans, the soda is sold in glass bottles and they also come up with their corporate version of the local hero.

Matt Barbot’s “El Coquí Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom” is a live action comic book that goes beyond the pale of graphic novels and instead examines the world of cultural identity, stereotypes in corporate America and the threat that racial tensions can have on a community. Don’t let this description frighten you off. While it is not Shakespeare or Oscar Wilde it is quite hilarious.

The show is fast moving and quick witted that leans heavily on Hispanic stereotypes while exposing the folly that comes from believing in them. Barbot uses humor to diffuse the awkward lessons along with the use of Puerto Rican customs and traditions.

Alejandro Martinez Jr. as Alex and Angelluis R. Centeno as Joe are perfectly cast as two feuding brothers who deep down love each other as only brothers can. Their sparkling interplay is well coordinated by director Fabio Polanco. Alisha Caraballo as Patricia is the stereotypical no nonsense mom who only wants what is best for her sons. Nathalie Bermudez as Yesica plays a complex character torn between friendship/love, social responsibility/profit and loyalty/personal gain. She is the most interesting to watch. Lastly, Roxana Bell in duel roles of El Chupacabra and Junior plays a good baddie or two.

Hats off once again to Inda Blatch-Geib for the brilliant costuming all the way around. Gennie Neuman Lambert’s functional stage design gives us a tenement rooftop, a bed room and an open front area for the characters to romp in. Jaemin Park makes good use of the stage fog to light the production in an atmospheric manner.

Sometimes when you go to the theater to witness some silly fun a profound message is found hidden in the mix. Such is the case with this show. Yes, it will make you laugh but more importantly it will make you think and that after all is what good theater is all about. Note also that the entire performance is in English.

The Cleveland Public Theatre production of “El Coquí Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom” will be on stage in the James Levin Theatre located at 6415 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio through April 5, 2025. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.cptonline.org/ or call (216) 631-2727 x501.