BWW Reviews: Explosive Firehouse Plays Whitefire Fridays

Firehouse
by Pedro Antonio Garcia
directed by Bryan Rasmussen
Whitefire Theatre
Fridays only @ 8 pm through April 29

Pedro Antonio Garcia's hard-hitting Firehouse, based on a real-life incident of the past decade, receives its world premiere at the Whitefire Theatre in Sherman Oaks. Under the steady hand of director Bryan Rasmussen (who also costars as the Captain), the play packs a punch as a razor-sharp indictment of racism in the South Bronx police and fire departments.

Based on the Amadou Diallo case where a black man was unjustly shot down 41 times by police, Firehouse places a fictitious former cop Brian Boyle (Gerald Downey), accused of shooting a black man, as a rookie fireman in Firehouse 61. When a fire breaks out in an unoccupied community tenement and Boyle saves a fellow fireman, leaving a 12 year-old Latina girl to burn and eventually die, accusations of racism start to flare up once more. Of course Boyle claims that he never saw the girl amidst the smoke, and when his partner was struck by a burning beam and went down, he went for the grab and carried him to safety. Robert "Perry" Miranda (Kamar De Los Reyes), another fireman on the team, distrusts Boyle from the get-go, and that distrust intensifies when he learns that Boyle was brought in to eventually replace him. Add to that Miranda's girlfriend Aida (Jossara Jinaro), a community lawyer who has been called upon to represent the family of the neglected little girl, and Miranda is torn between loyalty to her, his family and to the team members of his firehouse. The dramatic tension doubles, each scene catches fire, giving the entire scenario an engaging cinematic quality.

The first rate cast consistently go for broke, creating an explosive pressure-cooker. Reyes and Jinaro are both outstanding, as the urgent issue puts their personal relationship at extreme risk. Rasmussen, Ed Morrone, and Jon Southwell as the firemen display high voltage, with Southwell, a fun-loving clown adding slight touches of welcome comic relief amidst all the turmoil. Downey has a riveting monologue at play's end when the tables turn against his bigot character Boyle and plays it for all its worth. Most notable as Miranda's half-brother Pito, is Elvis Nolasco who creates an indelible portrait of a pitiable homeless crackhead. Great performance!

Firehouse is intensely written by Garcia and beautifully acted and directed. It is an unrelentingly truthful piece of theatre that will move and shake you to stand up for what is right. You cannot afford to miss it!

 

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