Mother Road
BY OCTAVIO SOLIS
DIRECTED BY DAVID MENDIZÁBAL
PEET’S THEATRE
JUN 14–JUL 21, 2024
David Mendizábal’s direction makes the world gorgeous. A redoubtable ensemble of actors embody the flurried feeling of packing for a trip, the monotony of mile markers, the dizziness of adrenaline.
Mother Road digs into that universal search for home with the aching beauty of its poetry, which deftly evokes a gritty world, mired in tragedy and streaked with magical realism.
There is a searing urgency to the lyrical poetry and luscious prose of playwright Octavio Solis…Anyone who loves The Grapes of Wrath will be pleased to engage in this adaptation.
This impressively directed, beautifully produced, and especially stellar-performed Mother Road by Octavio Solis is a must-see 2023/24 season bow for Berkeley Repertory Theatre — MUST SEE.
As directed by David Mendizábal, Mother Road is an outstanding stage presentation full of human emotion, with a satisfying and heartfelt conclusion.
A generously, richly imagined drama…Mother Road is suffused with Solis’ full-hearted concerns and compassion.
Octavio Solis’ poetic fantasia soars under the brilliant direction of Berkeley Rep’s Associate Artistic Director David Mendizábal, stunning staging, and an excellent ensemble cast.
One of the most celebrated living writers of the Mexican-American experience, Octavio Solis pens a 21st-century tale inspired by John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. William Joad has no heir to bequeath the family farm to — until he learns about Martín Jodes, a young Mexican-American migrant worker descended from Steinbeck’s protagonist Tom Joad. In a reversal of the Joads’ mythic journey, William and Martín embark on a road trip from California’s migrant farm camps back to Oklahoma, where they reckon with their brutal pasts and forge an unlikely bond. Along their journey on the Mother Road, they gather a chorus of travelers. Witness Solis’ soaring poetry, gritty realism, and mythic scope as he captures the intersection of people, cultures, and migration in the American West.
Production information
Runtime: Approximately two hours and 15 minutes including one 15-minute intermission
Stage effects advisory: Gunshots and blood
Content advisory: Strong racialized language, scenes depicting violence and police brutality, and brief descriptions of sexual assault
Cast
(in alphabetical order)
Cher Álvarez* | Amelia/Chorus
James Carpenter* | William Joad
Daniel Duque-Estrada* | Abelardo/Chorus
Emilio Garcia-Sanchez* | Martín Jodes
Branden Davon Lindsay* | James/Chorus
Michael Moreland Milligan* | Roger/Chorus
Lindsay Rico* | Mo/Chorus
Benny Wayne Sully* | Curtis/Chorus
Courtney Walsh* | Ivy/Chorus
Understudies
(in alphabetical order)
Scott Coopwood* | William Joad, Roger, Chorus
Marilet Martinez* | Mo, Amelia, Ivy, Chorus
Kenny Scott | James, Chorus
Angel Villalobos | Martín Jodes, Abelardo, Curtis, Chorus
Creative team
Tanya Orellana | Scenic Design
Rodrigo Muñoz | Costume Design
Cha See | Lighting Design
Jake Rodriguez | Sound Design
Ritmos Tropicosmos | Original Music
Taylor Williams | Casting
Elisa Guthertz* | Stage Manager
Christina Hogan* | Assistant Stage Manager
* Indicates a member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional stage actors and stage managers in the United States
Emilio Garcia-Sanchez (Martín Jodes) and James Carpenter (William Joad) in Mother Road, Octavio Solis’ 21st-century tale inspired by John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath.
Photo by Kevin Berne/Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Cher Álvarez (Amelia), James Carpenter (William Joad), and Emilio Garcia-Sanchez (Martín Jodes) in Mother Road, Octavio Solis’ 21st-century tale inspired by John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath.
Photo by Kevin Berne/Berkeley Repertory Theatre
James Carpenter (William Joad), Lindsay Rico (Mo), and Emilio Garcia-Sanchez (Martín Jodes) in Mother Road, Octavio Solis’ 21st-century tale inspired by John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath.
Photo by Kevin Berne/Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Season sponsors
Photo by Kevin Berne/Berkeley Repertory Theatre
(l to r) Michael Moreland Milligan (Roger), Benny Wayne Sully (Curtis), Emilio Garcia-Sanchez (Martín Jodes), Courtney Walsh (Ivy), and Branden Davon Lindsay (James) in Mother Road