El Coqui Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom

Reviewed By A.J. Muhammad

Image Sourced by Studio Edgardo, LLC

Marvel Comic's Luke Cage and Jessica Jones have set the stage for a Latino superhero in Matt Barbot's witty action adventure play: “El Coqui Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom.”

Alex (Michael John Improta), a young Nuyorican comic book artist from Brooklyn has created a Puerto Rican superhero named El Coqui that he pitches to publishers and is rejected for ignorant reasons. With no other prospects he moves back home to mom Patricia (Annie Henk), and older brother Joe (Omar Perez) who works in advertising. Not to be deterred by failure, Alex dons a mask and blue onesie with the logo of the Puerto Rican national symbol of a frog (el coqui in Spanish) on it and watches out for citizens in peril. As his alter ego El Coqui, Alex attracts the attention of a fast-talking photographer Yesica (Christin Eve Cato), who turns him into an underground internet sensation while Patricia pressures Alex to get a job.

After Joe almost loses an account for a soft drink campaign that he objects to because of the stereotypical way it is marketed to Latinos by his colleagues, he selfishly enlists Alex's invention in a Puerto Rican Parade scheme to save the campaign. Once El Coqui becomes a smash, Alex’s alter ego gets co-opted by corporate America which causes him to lose Yesica's admiration and at the same time he fends off his arch nemesis in his mind--the well read El Chupacabra who plans on using the soft drink (“the bottle” referred to in the play’s title) to wreak havoc on society.

Barbot has larger ideas at play besides a conflicted superhero. He adds in issues that impact Latino Americans -- health, economics, gentrification, and assimilation -- while critiquing racism in media and advertising. He also presents a stable and functional Latino family. The areas of El Coqui that could be tweaked for a return and bigger production are tightening the script, developing the scenes within-a-scene between Alex and El Chupacabra, and cutting the intermission. Also, are Joe's monologues about Spanish grammatical rules necessary? They’re supposed to foreshadow events but ultimately sap the pacing of the play.

The fresh face cast display good comic timing and turn in nice work. The low key tech design is fine including Ian McClain’s comic book background projections. With the upcoming "Black Panther" film and other projects featuring people of color as superheroes in the pipeline, the time is right for a play about Latino superheroes. Barbot is on the right track with “El Coqui Espectacular” and it could be a contender if he wants to branch out into a series or film.

El Coqui Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom. By Matt Barbot. Directed by Nelson T. Eusebio III. Stage Manager: Ayisha Hunt. Lighting Design: Burke Brown. Co-Lighting Design: Joe Thompson. Projections Designer: Ian McClain. Costume Designer: Caitlin Cisek. Sound Design: Luqman Brown. Fight Choreographer: Ray Rodriguez. Mask Designer: Sean Devare. Ran from Nov 3-Nov 13, 2016.  Julia de Burgos Art Center at 680 Lexington Avenue.  New York City.