by Charlsie-Kern Kruger

“4 Guys Named José and una Mujer Named Mariaí!” is a fun juke box musical featuring Latin hits. The premise is cute: four Latine guys living in Omaha, Nebraska get together to perform an evening of Latin music at the VFW hall. To add some feminity to the mix, they have hired María, who sends her roommate, also María, to perform in her place. The replacement María is more than a handful of passionate angst and seething sexuality, having just been dumped by a boyfriend. Her attitude disrupts the performance, as well as the hormonal balance of the love struck Josés.

But the show must go on, and it does, very nicely indeed. The company manages to squeeze full performances of 19 song and dance numbers, and more than a dozen additional snippets. The music ranges from the ridiculous (anybody remember the Macare, to the traditional (Guantanamero) to the classic charmer, Basame Mucho. We are, thankfully, spared any songs from “West Side Story” which might have gilded the lily a bit too much.  All of this is combined with entertaining banter and pleasant chemistry betwen the performers.

All of this would make for a reasonably entertaining evening, but, thanks to the powerhouse performances of Reilly Milton as María and Jonathan Blue as José Dominicano, it is a a good deal more. Milton is a born cabaret performer, with a fantastic set of pipes, and the ability to make a story of every song. She dances very well, but, more importantly, she knows when to plant herself like an oak tree and belt ’em out. When Blue sings “Magic Is The Moonlight/Te Quiero Dijiste” to Milton, the temperature rises, the stage gets steamy, and the show is lifted beyond itself.

Most importantly, the fun this company has with this material, and their obvious heart for Latine culture, is infectious, leading the audience to clap, stomp, shout, and sway, and occasionally sing along.

A very good time.

“4 Guys Named José and una Mujer Named María!” continues at 6th Street Playhouse through September 22, 2024. For further information click here.

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Rating: **** (For an explanation of TheatreStorm’s rating system, click here.)
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“4 Guys Named José and una Mujer Named María!” Conceived by David Coffman & Dolores Prida. Book and Song Selections by Dolores Prida. Director/Choreographer: Ern Rose Solorio. Music Director: Nte Riebli. Costume Designer: Adriana Gutierrez. Sound Designer: April George. Scenic Designer: Christine Vondralee-Sternhill. Properties Master: Rachael Anderson & Ben Harper. 

Cast:

Maria: Reilly Milton/Jackie Diaz (Ms. Diaz performs 9/5 and 9/19). José Cubano: Maick Poroj. José Dominicano: Jonathan Blue. José Boricua: Ben Roots. José Mexicano: Ismael Armando Ramon. 

El Trio Las Omahaenos: 

Keyboard: Nate Riebil. Percussion: Felipe Puac. Bass: Roebrt Bowman. Keyboard Sub: Deborah Taylor.