Written by Hortense Gerardo. Produced by Brian Boruta. Directed by Michelle Aguillon. Scenic Design by Al Forgione. Lighting and Projection Design by SeifAllah Salotto-Cristobal. Costume Design by Maureen Festa. Sound Design by James Cannon. Presented by Umbrella Stage Company, Concord, MA, through April 23rd.
by Linda Chin
Named after a fictitious suburb of Cleveland where a dual-doctor couple from Manila has been recruited to work as medical residents, Middleton Heights is a new play that ambitiously spans five decades and three generations of an Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) family’s immigrant experience. Infused with Tagalog and Ilocano words and references and filled with vivid vignettes that are culturally specific and universally relatable, the script is informed by Hortense Gerardo’s twin professional vantage points as an anthropologist and playwright. And though Gerardo contends that this is not an autobiographical play, it does reflect her own lived experience – including being the daughter of two physicians, growing up in a Cleveland suburb, and having roots in the Philippines.
Middleton Heights is thoughtfully and lovingly directed by Michelle Aguillon and performed by an all-Filipino cast of five – Justin Budinoff, Cheryl Daro, Lisa Fermin-Granada, Jenine Florence Jacint, Jude Torres. Their engaging performances reflect a commitment to their professional craft, the joy of sharing their collective lived experience with a larger community, and gratitude for being part of a world premiere (Middleton Heights was Umbrella Stage Company’s first commission of a full-length play).
The story does not center on the physician-parents who were pioneers in forging new territory but on their daughter Meena (a captivating Daro) and her brother Moe (an engaging Torres). The immigrant parents have sacrificed years of medical training, a comfortable network of friends and family, domestic help on the homefront, and aspects of their identities for a better life for their children. Fermin-Granada’s “Mom” is fierce, and Budinoff’s “Dad” is dreamy but steady. Jacint also plays a character who is also nameless but luminous in their small dual roles of “Boy” and granddaughter “Isabel” in the final scene. Daro, Torres, Fermin-Granada, and Budinoff also display their strong acting range in their portrayals of Meena and Moe as children through adults in their fifties, and as Mom and Dad in their 20s to their 80s. To director Aguillon’s credit, the actors also show excellent comedic timing, physical acting (a fabulous scene early in the play with mom piercing young Meena’s ears with a needle), and command of the final poignant scenes between father and son and mother and daughter.
Gerardo also ambitiously marks the passage of time by interlacing the family’s life in Cleveland with current events/the political climate in the US. The play’s fifty-year span correlates with the Hough riots in 1966, protests at Kent State, the assassination of Bobby Kennedy, and the recent fatal shooting of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old Black teenager killed by a police officer. The different points in time are also supported by the retro scenic and costume design, properties and set dressing (Sarajane Morse Mullins), hair and makeup (Gabrielle Hatcher), and a very well-curated playlist.
Middleton Heights would definitely benefit from being tightened, but I found it funny, heartbreaking, well-paced, and full of memorable moments. The tenderness and love Dad shows towards Meena when making Pandesal (a type of sweet Filipino bread roll) is just one example of why this play left me feeling warm, full, and hungry for more. For tickets and information, go to: https://theumbrellaarts.org/
