‘Boys of Mariel’ Finally Falters

Barry Ball and Bill Yule’s well-acted, touching “The Boys of Mariel,” about six gay men who flee Cuba, is a fascinating mixture of abstract flashbacks and reality-based moments. Yet the story line and Valerie Landsburg’s direction lose momentum in the second act.

During the Mariel boat lift in 1980, Fidel Castro (Danny Mora) unloaded people whom he considered undesirable, oddly lumping together dissidents, Jehovah’s Witnesses and homosexuals. Exiled from their home, but dreaming of new opportunities in America, these six men form a loose-knit family during their stay at a Miami detention center.

The quietly serious Ricardo (Michael Santorico) remembers his Russian soldier lover. Alfredo (Michael Kostroff) looks for a lover and recalls when he was a sought-after drag queen. Antonio (g. beauxdin) adores Ricardo, who feels only fatherly interest. Javier (Orlando Montes), suffering from post-traumatic stress, can barely hold onto reality. Inocencio (John Frey) calmly faces the future, yet feels the pull of his motherland. Pedro (Rene L. Moreno), banished from the Ballet Nacional de Cuba, believes he will bound onto the American stage as a star.

Landsburg derives some effective moments, yet in the second act, she can’t safely navigate through the murky motives and meanings, making the abstract staging more confusing than expressive.

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* “The Boys of Mariel,” Lillian Theatre, 1076 Lillian Way, Hollywood. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m. Ends July 24. $20. (310) 289-2999. Running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes.