Musical About Historic Migration Of Puerto Ricans to Hawai'i Begins in December at Puerto Rican Traveling Theater

Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater's musical Aloha Boricua -the epic saga of the first mass migration of Puerto Ricans to Hawai'i- will run Off-Broadway and for the first time at Miriam Colón's historic Puerto Rican Traveling Theater on west 47th street, Manhattan, on December 1-18.

 Aloha Boricua dramatizes the one-way transoceanic trip to the Hawaiian archipelago made by poor sugarcane workers and families whose lives were upended by the U.S. military invasion of Puerto Rico and the devastation of Category 4 San Ciriáco Hurricane in 1898-99. The rhythms of traditional bomba y plena, urban reggaetón, and música jíbara collide in this song-driven theater production based on the literary account by influential queer author Manuel Ramos Otero. Premiered in 2009 under the direction of Jorge B. Merced and composer Desmar Guevara, the show lifts the voices and weaves the stories of five characters in search of home and opportunity, and pays tribute to the myths and truths of the Hawaiian people who welcomed them at the end of their journey. Performed in English and Spanish with titles by an ensemble cast of 12 Latine actors/musicians. Tickets start at only $25 and are available online at www.PregonesPRTT.org or by phone at 718-585-1202.

"Aloha Boricua is urgently of this moment in both form and content," says Merced, winner of the 2022 Simón Bolívar Lifetime Achievement Award from The City University of New York. "The musical is about the plight of displacement, the cold forces that push people away from their place of origin, and the will to hacer de tripas corazón - to buoy from hardship with a big heart. This has been and continues to be the story of so many migrants and immigrants everywhere. Music and stories shore up their collective resolve and express their gratitude for each other and for whoever offers shelter, comfort, and hope."

FACTS: On November 22, 1900, the first group of Puerto Ricans consisting of 56 men, began their long journey to Maui, Hawai'i. The trip was long and unpleasant. They first set sail from San Juan harbor to New Orleans, Louisiana. Once in New Orleans, they were boarded on a railroad train and sent to the Port of Los Angeles, California. From there they set sail aboard the Rio de Janeiro to Hawai'i. According to the Los Angeles Times dated December 26, 1901, the Puerto Ricans were mistreated and starved by the shippers and the railroad company. They arrived in Honolulu, on December 23, 1900, and were sent to work in one of the different plantations owned by the "Big Five" sugarcane corporations that wielded considerable political power on the archipelago. By October 17, 1901, 5,000 Puerto Rican men, women and children had made their new homes on the four islands.

 

 

CREDITS: Based on the short story "Vivir del cuento" and the poetry of Manuel Ramos Otero. Book and lyrics by Jorge B. Merced. Music by Desmar Guevara and Jorge B. Merced. Additional music and lyrics by Anthony Carrilloand Rosalba Rolón. Directed by Jorge B. Merced. Costumes by Oriana Sofia. Digital Projection Design by Eamonn Farrell. Lights by Emmanuel Delgado. Sound design by Milton Ruiz. Ensemble (in progress): Anna Cristina Malavé, Kimberly Gómez, Tristan A. Hernández, Yasmin Carden, Joel Acosta, Camilo Molina-Gaetán, Anthony Carrillo, Desmar Guevara.

 

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