Some autobiographical plays are realistic. Some autobiographical plays paint entertaining portraits of the playwright’s ancestors. Some autobiographical plays recreate emotions of the past. “Be Careful! The Sharks Will Eat You!” does all these things to the max, telling a moving story, full of passion, humor and human interest.
Jay Alvarez’s show, which he is currently performing at MetroStage, tells the tale of his family’s escape from Cuba when he was four, not long after Fidel Castro ousted Batista and took control of the island. In a cleverly constructed and detailed monologue, Alvarez creates the flight to freedom he, his parents, grandmother and a few friends took, bobbing their way in two fishing boats from a coral reef off Cuba to the waters off Miami.
Alvarez begins his story at the point where the boats are loading up to leave in the middle of the night. Then he circles back and tells the larger story of his two older brothers being sent to New York to protect them during Batista’s reign.
| Onstage |
| ‘Be Careful! The Sharks Will Eat You!’ |
| Where: MetroStage, 1201 N. Royal St. Alexandria |
| When: Through April 22 |
| Info: $25 to $50; 800-494-8497; metrostage.org |
Alvarez portrays a lively picture of the glittering 1950s, when the American mob ruled Havana, when the nightclub Tropicana was a mecca for the rich and famous. The next period in Alvarez’s narrative recounts the beginning of the period of disillusionment, when Castro turned out to be anything but a savior and his troops rounded up and executed people in massive numbers. It was then that Alvarez’s father decided he needed to get his family out of Cuba. In one of the most memorable sections, Alvarez narrates his father’s story, describing how he outwitted the authorities, fooling them into thinking he would never flee Cuba.
All along, Alvarez conjures up many very different characters with only variations in voice, gesture and posture. Directed by Theresa Gambacorta, Alvarez tells his story with maximum verbal efficiency and a brilliant ear for dialogue, creating telling portraits of the people who shaped his life.
One very funny scene is told partially in Spanish, which Alvarez uses for effect from time to time. It involves his mother, who is angry at his father. As she tosses her hair back over her shoulders, you can clearly see a young woman, determined to have her way.
“Be Careful!” is an extremely low-tech show. Two straight-backed chairs and a grainy photograph of the family on the fishing boat comprise the set. From those simple elements, Alvarez creates a rich impression of a tightly-knit family and an impressive vision of a tiny, brave society strong enough to flourish in an unfamiliar land.
