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Community Corner

'Mi Casa, Tu Casa' at Luna Stage Is Pure Magic

Bilingual show is a holiday celebration for everyone; runs through December 18

There's a moment in "Mi Casa,Tu Casa" when co-creator, musician and actor Michael Aquino remembers holidays at his aunt Titi's apartment in Union City, New Jersey. Aquino, whose mother Delia arrived in America as a little girl from Cuba, recounts the apartment filling with family, friends and food.

Theirs were true fiestas, complete with live music. "The six piece band plays well into the noche (night) or morning, depending on how you look at it, " the Bloomfield based Aquino recounts during one of the show's eight segments of both original and well-known songs, stories and poems.

No matter what your culture, age or family tradition, do not miss being part of this joyous, often hilarious and sometime poignant fiesta of a music-drenched show playing now through Dec. 18 at Luna Stage Theater Company, the cornerstone of the Valley Arts District (VAD) in West Orange. The 19-year-old company, under the artist directorship of founder Jane Mandel of Montclair, has delivered a colorfully wrapped gift filled with many wondrous surprises.

Among these are the sly and witty rewritings of Latin American, European and African folk tales by Bloomfield's Dania Ramos. The stories are marvelously brought to life by actors Ernio Hernandez and Paula Moscoso, with a delightful comic cameo by show percussionist Chris Blanco as a tambale playing dog in "The Alligator, the Dog and the Drum."  Moscoso's flirtatious cucaracha and Hernandez' deft playing of multiple animal roles in "Martina and the Musicians," based on the folktale "The Vain Little Mouse," are more than worth the price of admission.

Hernandez and Moscoso, who act as this celebration's hosts, wonderfully inhabit the many other characters they play, delivering pitch perfect performances which extend to their singing, both when accompanied by the spirited five-piece "Casa Band" and a cappella. By show's midpoint, when Moscoso invited all the children in the audience to sit with her on stage for Hernandez's sensitive reading of Clement Clarke Moore's "A Visit from St. Nicholas," the little girls eagerly crowded around and the little boys, unprompted, finished some of the poem's line.

I especially liked the two actors' father and daughter in "An Immigrant's Tale," written by Ramos and inspired by an Aquino family story — Ramos is married to Michael Aquino. The segment culminates — you'll find out why — in the ensemble's singing "Oh Chanukah" then Hernandez and Moscoso dancing a spirited "Hora" and Hernandez's show stopping "Hopak."

All of the band members have their moments in center stage, sharing their own family stories. Garcia shows comedic flair as he talks about the holidays and "telenovelas"— Spanish language televised melodramas — and Jane Keitel, who sings beautifully throughout, about a Christmas without heat but some very special ice cream.

Mandel has marvelously directed and staged the fast moving, one hour and twenty minute show created for Luna by three members of the company's family: Aquino, who periodically brings in the Indie Music Circus to the complexes' second, smaller theater; West Orange's Garcia, his frequent musical collaborator; and writer Dania Ramos, the founder and director of Luna's "Literary Lounge." Many of the on-stage five-piece band members —Cindi Merkel on bass rounds out the "Casa Band" — have played often at Luna and all contributed to the creating of the show.

The costumes by Deborah Caney are wonderfully effective and the show takes place in front of an exuberant set created by artist Jennifer Levine of Montclair, who is also part of the Luna family, and artists from the VAD's Arts Unbound, whose works can be seen and bought in the lobby.

"This show was created for Luna from the ground up; it's very exciting," Mandel said in a conversation earlier this past week. "There is a huge Hispanic population in this area and their music and expression are so inclusive of everyone. This is America — we reach out to the audience to make the show inclusive of every culture."

Towards the show's end, the ensemble sing and play the well known ranchero song, "Cielito Lindo":"Ay, ay, ay, ay, Canta y no llores" — sing and don't cry —  popularized in the United States as "Ay, ay, ay, ay, Sing and Be Merry," the perfect message for "Mi Casa, Tu Casa."

The show continues through Sunday, Dec. 18. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children and can be bought at the Luna Stage website or call (973) 395-5551.

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