Radio Mambo: Culture Clash Invades Miami

By JULIO MARTINEZ

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Radio Mambo: Culture Clash Invades Miami (Tamarind Theatre, Hollywood; 65 seats; $ 20 top) Culture Clash presents a play in one act, written and performed by Richard Montoya, Ric Salinas and Herbert Siguenza; director, Roger Guenver Smith.
 

Insightful, though surprisingly subdued, "Radio Mambo" was adapted from weeks of taped interviews culled from Miami's ethnic stew -- Cubans, Haitians, Bahamians, blacks, white Southerners, gays and expatriate Jews from the north.

Still, there are no superficial, quick-laugh caricatures here. Under the careful direction of well-known performance artist Roger Guenver Smith, aided by Mark Friedman's evocative sound design, the three make a great effort to inhabit the souls of each of their characters.

Highlights include Montoya's hilarious take on fast-talking PR man Charlie Cinnamon, who has seen it all and has fond memories of meeting gangster Meyer Lansky; and "Haitian Neighbor," Siguenza's beautiful realization of a Haitian father, whose unwavering sense of personal dignity lifts him above his low social standing.

Hovering over much of the work is the almost mythic specter of Fidel Castro. "Cuban Gothic" offers the bittersweet recollections of a formerly middle-class Cuban couple who harbor a deep sorrow that they did not do more to defeat Castro.

The hilarious "Torino Furniture" features Salinas as an enterprising second generation Miami Cubano who has adopted American capitalism with a vengeance by utilizing the plight of the Cuban "boat people" to promote the family furniture business. "Cafe Nostalgia" is a comically irreverent, if overly long, diatribe between two blowhards who debate all sides of the "Fidelista" problem.

There is definitely nothing funny about the scenes that deal directly with Miami's black population. A seething rage permeates "Deep South," which offers a coldly matter-of-fact warning to tourists to check their guide maps and stay out of the area enclosed within a "red box" (the black section).

"Dead Men Walking" presents three career criminals whose grasps on reality have been shaped by utter hopelessness and a complete lack of opportunity. A much softer, but ultimately tiresome, viewpoint is given in "Tea For Two," in which two elderly black women wax nostalgic about the good old days of the former middle class district of Overtown.

Not all the elements of this production segue smoothly, and there is a definite feel that it is still a work in progress. Current plans include a move to INTAR in New York and, later this summer, a production at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa. The evolution of "Radio Mambo," it is hoped, will include some judicious editing and a better balance of its light and dark elements.

Sets, Herbert Siguenza; lighting, Pete Edwards; sound design, Mark Friedman. Opened, reviewed March 3, 1996; runs through April 14. Running time: 90 min. Satirists Richard Montoya, Ric Salinas and Herbert Siguenza -- aka Culture Clash -- take aim at Miami in 20 short performance pieces that, despite not always hitting their intended mark, present a fascinating human collage.