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Regional Reviews: Washington, D.C. What Became of Us
First, a note about the play's structure. Playwright Shayan Lotfi is telling the story of a family that emigrated to the "New Country" (as staged here, the United States) from another land referred to only as the "Old Country." The characters are the family's children: Q (Alma Cuervo or Jo Yang), the older sister born in the Old Country, and Z (Michael DeLorenzo or Stan Kang), the younger brother born after the move. Cuervo and DeLorenzo, designated as the Purple Cast, are the subject of this review; they alternate performances with the Green Cast, Yang and Kang. Lotfi's aim is to depict common experiences among immigrant families from different parts of the world: Cuervo and DeLorenzo appear to be Hispanic, while Yang and Kang are of Asian descent. Director Ethan Heard depicts their lives with subtlety and sensitivity, while Cuervo radiates warmth and DeLorenzo is more openly emotional. The storytelling begins with Cuervo, as a very young girl, arriving with her parents and moving into the house where, it appears, she still lives; DeLorenzo's character is born a few years later. As Cuervo tells it, her family struggled early in their post-move lives but gained stability when they bought a corner store and, later, the house where the action takes place. According to Q, their lives are "remarkable for how unremarkable they were." Q graduates from a local college because she could not afford tuition for the school she wanted to attend, later becoming a librarian and civic activist; Z goes to culinary school and becomes a noted chef. Their lives go by, a mosaic of small moments underpinned by the family's "roots that could never be ripped out." Cuervo portrays Q as grounded and aware of herself and those around her; in contrast, DeLorenzo's Z is more ebullient and outgoing. Lighting designer Colin K. Bills uses focused spots to highlight specific locations on the stage and Sarah O'Halloran's sound design keeps the action moving continuously over the 75-minute runtime. What Became of Us runs through July 26, 2026, at Signature Theatre, ARK Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington VA. For tickets and information, please call 703-820-9771 or visit www.SigTheatre.org. By Shayan Lotfi Green Cast: |
