Review: TRAVELING WITH ANGELS Captivates at National Hispanic Cultural Center

Reneé Peña has lived a full life. Now residing in LA, she has a successful career performing in popular television shows (Dexter, Grey's Anatomy, The Mentalist...). But recent grief has caused her to reassess this life--this is why she wrote "Traveling With Angels," her short impactful one-woman show, now playing at the National Hispanic Cultural Center.

Peña's story is a simple, vibrant autobiography--her childhood in Gallup, NM, her family relationships, her travels throughout 27 countries. The tale in itself is mild, not particularly thrilling--like a laid back aunt telling stories at a family reunion. Yet Peña's not just any old aunt--she's an actress of extraordinary skill; with craft and care, she elevates her life: You will be captivated.

Peña commits, with great control, to the diverse scenes of her life's journey--evoking, through performance as much as language, the detailed textures of indian parades, youthful car trips, mariachi anniversary parties, Russian palaces, and more. For the characters she meets along the way, she employs impeccable impersonation--not merely imitating, she attends to even the smallest personal attributes: A Italian man's slouch, an artist's Native American accent, her grandmother's infectious laugh.

Greatest of all her impersonations is the evolving portrayal of herself. Adults who impersonate children often go too far and create either a caricature of innocence, or don't go far enough and make a very grown-up (and unconvincing) 5-year-old. Peña's rendition of her childhood, on the other hand, was convincing, endearing, and revealing. And as little girl grew up, Peña's expert 'self portraits' gave beautiful insight into how the story she was telling, her life, was guiding her growth: through adolescence, teenage years, and young adulthood, eventually becoming the woman on stage.

I only wish she spent a little more time to show her inner trials and personal flaws--the majority of her story looked outward into family, travel, and love. She touched-on close psychological issues like insecurity, prejudice, and personality contradictions--but seemed to lack the willingness, or capacity, to go deeper into the subject. I can understand why she'd refrain to go deeper, but the downplay of her inner life stood out.

This isn't to say Peña doesn't make herself vulnerable--on the contrary, she unflinchingly relates the greatest struggles of her life; the audience was transfixed, breathless, and completely present beside her, in her most intimate displays of grief. And there's more than an audience present: She's also "Traveling with Angels," acknowledging the guidance of the dead--a tasteful spiritual touch that, avoiding being 'cheesy,' is even realistic (even a skeptic would concede, maybe Peña chose external 'angels' to explain her psychological, inner life).
"Travelling with Angels" is an an entertaining story, a masterful performance, and a courageous display of personal grief and practical yet transcendent redemption. The show is a gift--which, after a lifetime of adventure and success, she has returned to New Mexico, to give. Come, be uplifted: Receive this story.

February 20-21 & February 25-28, 2016
7:30 pm-Thursday-Saturday
2 pm-Sunday

National Hispanic Cultural Center
(505) 246-2261

To post a comment, you must register and login.