The third, and final, play in Quiara Alegría Hudes' Elliot Trilogy, "The Happiest Song Plays Last," is currently playing at the Los Angeles Theatre Center under the direction of Edward Torres. The trilogy follows the life of ex-marine Elliot and his family through the years after his return from the War in Iraq.
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In "The Happiest Song Plays Last," Hudes once again demonstrates her talent for telling two stories simultaneously. One storyline follows Yaz (Elisa Bocanegra), who finds unexpected romance with an old friend, her former piano teacher Augustín (Al Rodrigo). When Augustín dies of neglect in the waiting room of an emergency room, a fire is lit inside of Yaz that makes her examine her own personal meaning of family and community. Meanwhile, half a world away in Jordan, Elliot (Peter Pasco) is shooting a docudrama about marines at war with his co-star Shar (Vaneh Assadourian), and his new friend Ali (Kamal Marayati) the film's consultant on Arab culture. Back in the Middle East for the first time since being discharged, Elliot is forced to come to terms with some ghosts he picked up during his time in combat.
The two storylines occasionally collide with the help Yee Eun Nam's projections, which allow Yaz and Elliot to drop in on each other via Facetime.
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This cast is full of lively and loving characters. Bocanegra and Rodrigo especially exude warmth onstage, with the former being the "open door, open stove" mother of the neighborhood, and the latter being a rascally older man, whose music keeps him young at heart. John Seda-Pitre, who plays Lefty, a homeless man that Yaz looks after, brings a wonderful, childlike quality to his character, making him endearing rather than annoying, and highlighting Yaz's mothering tendencies. Assadourian and Pasco have an easy and fun chemistry together, and Marayati brilliantly captures Ali's struggle. This character is perhaps the most captivating to watch. A gentle man by nature, Ali must come to terms with some pretty terrible truths about his friend Elliot, and watching Marayati wrestle with his love for Elliot, but his hatred for what he had done, broke my heart.
Head to the Los Angeles Theatre Center to see this triumphant end to a fantastic trilogy.
"The Happiest Song Plays Last" will be playing through March 19. Tickets range from $24 – $52. The Los Angeles Theatre Center is located at 514 S. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90013. Parking is available for $5 with box office validation at Joe's Parking structure, 530 S. Spring St. (immediately south of the theater). For more information and to purchase tickets, call (866) 811-4111 or go to http://thelatc.org/.