Review: PONDERING ABOUT MY MEMORIES at Capital Fringe Festival

Rodin Alcerro’s PONDERING ABOUT MY MEMORIES is lush, powerful and deeply moving.

Premiering at the Capital Fringe Festival, the play explores past, present and future. Like flecks of glitter in a snow globe, in this production thoughts, memories, and fragments drift peacefully or swirl turbulently and resettle each time in unique new ways.

Manasés, now 30, reflects upon growing up closeted in a conformist community, and his unrequited secret crush on his best friend, Max. The play explores how we can’t always trust our memories; our minds go in different directions, sometimes in a very linear way other times we get stuck or we want to play alternate endings.

Alcerro, known primarily as a local actor, expands with this Fringe show into directing and playwriting. “Pondering About My Memories” is a way to share his own thoughts and stories rather than a character he plays. His text is deep and emotional. It is a gripping work that holds our attention the entire time – we want to know more about these characters. The production uses heightened and poetic prose, gorgeous and evocative movement – and even an extraordinarily effective low-tech puppet show.

Pablo Guillen as Manasés and Joshua Cole Lucas as Max are a strong team who bring beauty and authority to their work. These two are experienced actors with a slew of credits in DMV professional theaters, including the physical theatre aesthetic of Synetic Theatre. In “Pondering About My Memories” their practiced movement is a vital asset used here to great effect – even their shadows on the wall were a striking element. Guillen and Lucas balance ease and originality in this experimental piece.

In fact, the silent, balletic moments were far more honest and revealing than the spoken word. Part of the issue may have been that the original text was translated from Spanish into English, part might be that the dialogue in the earliest flashbacks rings a bit too young. There are certainly gripping spoken moments, but through movement the two are most raw and compelling.

This is a polished work by any standard – but it especially stands out at Fringe where the production elements are often limited and the dramaturgy and performances aren’t always at the most polished and professional levels. With “Pondering,” all of those vital elements are in place and it is a strong, beautiful and deeply affecting work of theatre that will leave audiences thinking.

Every seat in the intimate performance space was filled the performance I attended, and the cast received a standing ovation.

I lucked into seeing “Pondering About My Memories” on the same evening as another strong Fringe production “Re: Writing.” The two productions pair together well, creating an especially moving exploration of the struggle for love and honesty and the ephemeral nature of memory. There is an opportunity on July 20 to see both shows within a few hours of each other.

“Pondering About My Memories” is part of the 2024 Capital Fringe Festival. The 2024 festival, Capital Fringe’s 17th, features 59 arts performances – original theater, dance and “unclassifiable” productions. This year’s theme, “Fringe Happy,” explores how we experience or remember moments of happiness.

The festival is centered in DC’s Golden Triangle neighborhood. In addition to existing stages at the Edlavirch DCJCC and Theater J (1529 16th Street NW), the festival has converted three vacant retail storefronts on Connecticut Avenue into temporary performance spaces: “Laughter” is a 25-seat venue at 1150 Connecticut Avenue NW, a former TMobile site; “Bliss,” a 49-seat venue at 1122 Connecticut Avenue NW, a former Talbots; and the 52-seat “Delirium” at 1120 Connecticut Avenue NW, a former Gap.

Festival productions wrap up on Sunday, July 21, so act quickly! For further festival information and ticket purchases go to https://capitalfringe.org/.

“Pondering About My Memories” is written and directed by Rodin Alcerro and features performances by Pablo Guillen and Joshua Cole Lucas. It is presented as part of the Capital Fringe Festival, at the Bliss performance space, 1122 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 102. Please note that venue restrooms are not accessible to patrons with mobility issues that prevent use of stairs. For tickets, performance information, attendance policies, and further information visit https://capitalfringe.org/events/rodin-ruiz/. There are two remaining performances Pondering about my Memories: July 20 at 1:40 pm and July 21 at 3:55 pm.

Running time: 65 minutes with no intermission.

The production contains profanity and mature themes; it is not suggested for young audiences.

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