LA POSARELA – A bilingual tradition a La San Francisco!

To appreciate La Posarela, a yearly performance during the Holidays, one must be somewhat familiar with Mexican traditions. Mix Las Posadas and La Pastorela, and add a few popular Spanish Villancicos, and there you have it! La Posarela. At the Brava Theater in the Mission District, a group of musicians, comedians, actors, and a choir enacted biblical passages –with a hint of immigration politics and anti-eviction tones.

The story is simple and predictable. Very pregnant, a bilingual Maria and her husband Jose migrate to Belém looking for a place to stay and give birth to a child.  A couple of Angels will support them on their quest. The devil and his perky devil-in-training will do the contrary. Then a few shepherds and the 3 Kings will follow as well.

The journey, however, is fun, entertaining and it brings alive the warmth of traditions. It shows the Mexican and Latino way of popularizing religious belief, and the lefty San Franciscans style for bringing up social injustice in a way that cannot but make you aware of certain realities of the times. 

I totally applaud Carlos Baron’s script. I clap fiercely and happily for Martha Rodríguez Salazar, artistic and musical director. I appreciate the work done by theater director Hugo Carbajal, and musical director Tregar Otton, and the many others involved.

All the actors did a great job: Magaly Castellanos, Ted Kuster, Karina Gutierrez, Eva Aldaz, Faith Harrington, Corina Vega, Tony Ortega, Raph Sinick, Harold Wilson, John Lindop, Natalia Acevedo and Carlos Baron.

Produced by The Community Music Center, LA POSARELA makes you sing and makes you smile. A Holiday postcard with the Latino touch, only in San Francisco!

To donate for this center, go to their website www.sfcmc.org or call them at 415-647.6015.
The Community Music Center needs your help to produce La Posarela next year. You may want to support them.

Text and photo by Lupita Peimbert.