Preston Lopez, José Sabillón, and Kassandra Cruz Photo by Dan Norman

Lopez clearly intends his audience to make a connection between his title and the Bernstein-Sondheim song, as West Side Story provides the context for the play. The action in the first act, which takes place in 1959, hangs on the frame of the acclaimed musical's original run on Broadway, while the second act takes place a year later and is nested in the filming of the West Side Story movie. Somewhere zeros in on how one family, the Candelarias, pin their hopes on the glamour generated by a gritty stage musical that embraces their Puerto Rican roots.

Twenty years before, Inez Candelaria (Maggie Bofill) and her husband, an aspiring Latin song and dance man, immigrated from Puerto Rico to Manhattan's San Juan Hill neighborhood. The area became increasingly derelict, but to the Candelarias it was home for them and their three children, Alejandro (Jandro), Francisco (Cisco), and Rebecca (Kassandra Cruz).

When the play opens, the children's father has been away for several years, pursuing his dream of being a great nightclub performer and recording star. The family has not heard from him in some time and he no longer sends them money to help. Still, Inez professes faith that he is working hard on the road and will come home as a great success with fortune and fame in tow. Meanwhile, Inez, who works as an usher at the Broadway theater where West Side Story is playing, has dreams of her children making their own marks on stage.

Alejandro (Preston Perez), the oldest, actually appeared on Broadway as one of the king's many Siamese children in The King and I. Jandro was a boy then, and the role wasn't much more than a walk-on, but by all accounts, he was a very promising dancer. His mother insists that he still is, but Jandro has set those ambitions aside to support his mother and younger siblings. It is through Jandro's eyes and his bitter continence that we are first introduced to the Candelaria family.

Cisco (José Sabillón), who is 17 when the play opens, took dance lessons, but bailed out and was on the verge of juvenile delinquency when he was redirected into acting lessons. Now he fancies himself to become the Puerto Rican Marlon Brando. Fifteen-year-old Rebecca (Kassandra Cruz) takes dance lessons and wants desperately to dance on Broadway. Inez, Mama Rose with a Puerto Rican accent, pushes them to take advantage of any shot at an audition or break, including Jandro, even though he insists it is no more than a dream and that he prefers to live his life with his eyes open.

Years ago, a white boy named Jamie (Sam Stoll) was taken in by the Candelarias to escape his abusive home life. Jamie found the success as a dancer that eluded Jandro, left their home and moved on, leaving them behind. A reconnection with the now successful Jamie stokes a new sense of hope in Inez for her children's future.

In the midst of all this, a letter arrives to tell Inez that their apartment that has been her home for twenty years has been declared a slum–not only their building, but the surrounding blocks–and will be demolished. They have thirty days to move out. Inez storms against the thought of losing her home. "How will your father find us?" But Act II finds them in their new home in Spanish Harlem where, a year later, the opening of the movie version of West Side Story is being filmed.

Lopez created five believable characters. He gives the most form to Inez and Alejandro as the two whose different approaches to handling the gap between dreams and reality are the crux of the play's conflict. There is a lot of humor in his characters, especially droll Inez and wisecracker Cisco, and in a way the Candelarias have the feel of a sitcom household. That sitcom feel comes both from the humor and also the goodwill that is evident beneath the scorching discord. But these are also serious people facing serious issues, and Perez doesn't avoid the anguish that runs through Inez and Jandro's veins.

Director Joseph Haj creates a cohesive feeling among the Candelaria household, signifying Jamie as an outsider even when the family (all but Jandro) welcome him back as one of their own, or even better, as a conquering hero. Haj also brings out the strife that is an undercurrent through the play in its depiction of an immigrant family working hard to achieve success on equal footing with other "Americans." There are dance scenes throughout the play, and a heartfelt danced conclusion. Haj integrates these elements, with slick choreography by Maia Garcia, into the fabric of the play.

Perez and Bofill are both making their Minnesota debuts, bringing strong New York and regional theatre experience that attests to the top tier caliber of their performances. Bofill's Inez is a feisty survivor who will manipulate any reality to suit her vision of the world. She exudes a mountain of love for her children and also for her Puerto Rican identity, which she bandies about proudly. She has a spectacular way with a sharp retort which, along with her husky voice, affirms her position as family standard-bearer.

Perez is outstanding as Alejandro, equally devoted to his family but having shed delusions of glamour on the stage for the harsh reality of punching a time clock. He still holds out hope for his sister and brother to attain that success and steadfastly looks after their welfare. Perez sublimely depicts the balance Jandro maintains in supporting his family's future as he sees it. He conveys his simmering bitterness toward Jamie, who calls him "hermano" (brother) but vanished when a brother's help was needed. Perez, when the time arrives, is also a wonderfully graceful dancer.

Stoll (a terrific Danny Zuko in Chanhassen's Grease last season) is winning in the prodigal son role of Jamie, though the script leaves him uncomfortably clueless about the challenges the family he left behind faces. There are a couple of chances for Stoll to dance, and his talent shines here. José Sabillón–recently a swarthy pirate in the Children's Theater's Treasure Island–is terrific as Cisco. He is brash but likeable, in equal measure smart and an innocent. Kassandra Cruz is completely charming as Rebecca. The role is the least developed, but Cruz is persuasive in conveying Rebecca's hunger to dance on Broadway, and she, too, shows her genuine grace as a dancer.

Scenic designer Lex Liang has created two detailed apartments for the Candelaria family: their humble San Juan Hill home, with a kitchen, a living room, and a fire escape, which offers a place to release charged-up emotions; and their smaller apartment in Spanish Harlem, with kitchen and living room crammed together, a sign of the Candelarias' dreams going in the wrong direction. The show posters on their walls in San Juan Hill attest to the family's thrall with Broadway.

Alejo Vietti's costumes ably convey the period, the Puerto Rican cultural vibe, and the economic status of the characters–also, the comically stodgy ushers uniforms of that period. Carolina Ortiz Herrera's lighting design emphases the shifting emotional tones throughout the play and is especially effective creating a "dream sequence" for Rebecca to dance, while actually helping her mother prepare supper. John Gromada's musical compositions and sound design, which incorporates some music from West Side Story, serve the production well.

A caution: The great choreographer and director Jerome Robbins' name comes up often throughout the play. As the choreographer who hired Jandro to bow before the king in The King and I and directed and choreographed both the stage and movie versions of West Side Story, he is the force behind Jamie's success and he nearly becomes an actual character in the play. A familiarity with Robbins and with the basic plot, and songs from West Side Story and the aura of Golden Age musical theatre in general, helps in following the trials and tribulations faced by the Candelarias.

There also are a couple of plot points that don't ring true. While it creates a line of tension in the play, it is hard to believe a woman with the survival instincts of Inez Candelaria would not make a move to deal with an eviction notice until even we hear the sounds of the wrecking ball and see the chandeliers swing back and forth. Also, it is hard to imagine that the fact that Jamie is white would never come up between Alejandro and Jamie when they heatedly argue over which one got ahead and which one didn't.

I have admired Matthew Lopez's work, including The Whipping Man, The Legend of Georgia McBride, and the book (in collaboration with Amber Ruffin) for the musical Some Like It Hot, and hope for an opportunity to see his Olivier and Tony award winning play, The Inheritance. Somewhere displays Lopez's talent for crafting interesting and unique characters, compelling dialogue, and sharp humor, with a few lovely dance sequences as a bonus. By the end of the play, the entreaty calling out for "somewhere, a place for us," has been answered by the upward sweep of this good-humored, warm-hearted play.

Somewhere runs through February 1, 2026, at the Guthrie Theater, McGuire Proscenium Stage, 618 South 2nd Street, Minneapolis MN. For tickets and information, please call 612-377-2224 or visit GuthrieTheater.org.

Playwright: Matthew Lopez; Director: Joseph Haj; Choreographer: Maia Garcia; Scenic Designer: Lex Liang; Costume Designer: Alejo Vietti; Lighting Designer: Carolina Ortiz Herrera; Sound Designer/Composer: John Gromada; Dramaturg: Carla Steen; Vocal Coach: Keely Wolter; Fight Director: Annie Enneking; Resident Casting Director: Jennifer Liestman; NYC Casting Consultant: McCorkle Casting, Ltd; Stage Manager: Tree O'Halloran; Assistant Stage Manager: Z Makila.

Cast: Maggie Bofill (Inez Candelaria), Kassandra Cruz (Rebecca Candelaria), Preston Perez (Alejandro Candelaria), José Sabillón (Francisco Candelaria), Sam Stoll (Jamie).