The lights inside the Laredo Little Theater burned bright on opening night for the Karol Batey directed play, Some Girl(s). Five celebrated actors brought the Neil N. Labute play to life and left this reporter on the edge of his seat.
The play focuses around a man known to the audience as “Guy”, who is getting older in age and is on the verge of getting married. Guy is portrayed by Rene Mendez. In the play Mendez decides to visit former girlfriends in different hotel rooms whom he suspects he might have wronged in the past.
Rosalinda Reyes plays the high school sweetheart in Seattle who was left just before prom night. You can feel the tension as Reyes takes a chair while Mendez sits on the bed to converse. The tension in this scene was at an all time high with both characters walking around not knowing what to do about the elephant of a problem in the room. Reyes then radiates hatred for her past love and eventually gets physical as she slaps “Guy” and runs out of the hotel room.
The next scene has Guy with a free spirited sexual plaything portrayed by Stephanie Ibarra. Ibarra plays the happy go lucky woman that is up for no strings attached fun in Chicago.. The scene gets very intimate as they both kiss and almost engage in acts that would be frowned upon by “Guy’s” fiancé. Ibarra portrays the temptations that still linger in Guy as they roll around a bed and push the bounds of his monogamy.
The third scene according to this reporter was the most intense of the play as Lexie DeAnda plays an older, fire-and-ice professor in Boston. This scene was one of the highlights of the play as you see the character verbally assault “Guy” for his indiscretions. The theater was silent as the words of DeAnda’s character traveled around at a volume level that would scare any man in the world. The scene ends like no other with DeAnda tricking Guy into believing that their intimacy will rekindle one more time, and just like Guy had done to her years before DeAnda walks out on him.
The last scene in the plays shows the main characters one true love, played by Stephanie Solis. Solis plays “Guy’s” one true love from California. The scene is more of a bittersweet one as Solis is confused as to the nature of the meeting; this reporter was very taken back by the chemistry between the two actors as the passion transcends any of the other scenes. Solis at one point falls to the ground with Mendez as he tries to explain to her the reason for his departure from the relationship. Solis finds a microphone in the hotel room and quickly tries to escape before she is barricaded by Mendez to fully express his intentions. He tell her that all along he has been recording his encounters to advice his career.
The play ends with all four characters not buying the tainted apologies and walk out on him. The end of the very dramatic and intense play shows ‘Guy’ repairing the damaged tape of his meetings and calling his fiance to show his undying love for her.
Overall the play was a spectacular work and gave a glimpse into peoples real actions in a dog-e-dog world.