THEATER REVIEW:’Sonia Flew’ soars to dramatic heights

A time span of 40 years separates the first and second acts of Melinda Lopez’s engrossing drama “Sonia Flew,” now at the Laguna Playhouse in its West Coast premiere.

In a modus operandi much like the “Star Wars” movies, Lopez offers the second half of a Cuban expatriate’s story, then flashes back to illustrate the events that preceded it. It’s a powerful and poignant format, superbly staged by Juliette Carrillo.

The Sonia of the title is a middle-aged woman in post-9/11 America who fled Cuba as a teenager back in 1961 as part of a relocation project known as “Operation Pedro Pan,” which sent more than 14,000 children from Cuba to the United States between 1960 and 1962.

As traumatic as her earlier episode was, it seems tame compared to her current travails as her son announces he’s joining the Marine Corps to join U.S. forces in the Middle East, much to her dismay.

Just as the young man’s determination to fight for his country draws emotional opposition, so too does Sonia’s elaborately arranged escape from the oppression of the newly empowered Castro regime. Both events stir some heated discussion and threaten to divide a closely knit family.

Carrillo’s splendid cast of six does double duty, each portraying a character in both the 2001 and 1961 segments.

The most compelling among them is Judith Delgado, playing the title character in 2001 and an anxious observer in 1961. Delgado pushes the envelope of isolation in the more modern scene in an achingly nuanced performance, then lends a strong neutral balance to the events of the earlier period.

Christian Barillas portrays Sonia’s military-bound son in 2001 with youthful idealism and determination. He stands tall in his character’s emotional confrontation with his mother, exuding a strong seriousness of purpose.

Matt Gottlieb renders a fine, understated performance in Act I as Sonia’s patient husband — and adds an ominous presence as a shady Cuban black marketeer in Act II.

Geno Silva excels both as Sonia’s father and grandfather, reflecting a solid sense of world weariness and wisdom.

Tanya Perez strikes some heartfelt sparks in Act I as Sonia’s teenage daughter and in Act II as Sonia herself, fervently opposing her planned one-way flight to Miami. Marissa Chibas has a minuscule moment in Act I, but virtually commands the second act as Sonia’s determined mother.

Ethnic traditions are at work in both segments, at loggerheads in the initial portion of the play as Delgado runs up against the time-honored Jewish customs of her American family. She is most painfully impressive as she recoils from her duties at a holiday feast, consumed by sorrow at the prospect of losing her son to battle.

The smoothly moving, utilitarian set design by Myung Hee-Cho works beautifully for both ends of this dramatic doubleheader, as do the costumes of Joyce Kim Lee. Lonnie Alcaraz and David Edwards excel in the lighting and sound departments, respectively.

“Sonia Flew” is a powerful, thought-provoking drama inspired by actual events over the past half century, steeped in familial conflict and dotted with some terrific interpretations.