Photos from The Group at Strasberg "A Bicycle Country,"
written by Nilo Cruz and directed by Richard Hochberg, depicts the
struggle of life in Cuba.
By Jinjue Pak
Daily Bruin Contributor
As a young boy, born in the small town of Mantazas, Cuba, Nilo
Cruz suffered firsthand the lashes of Castro’s government,
including his father’s imprisonment. After moving to the
United States, he eventually became one of the leading
Cuban-American playwrights.
“I grew up in Miami and I was 10 when I left Cuba,”
Cruz said in a phone interview. “I didn’t understand
why we were leaving the country, but it certainly had to do with
politics. I was terrified about what was happening around me. I
could see the reactions of my parents and the people around
me.”
The hope for a better life that Cruz’s parents possessed
““ a hope that inhabits the hearts of many people ““ is
the main idea celebrated in Cruz’s latest drama, “A
Bicycle Country,” showing at the Marilyn Monroe Theater at
the Lee Strasberg Creative Center in West Hollywood through May 13.
Set in Havana, the story focuses on the lives of three characters
““ Pepe, Ines and Julio ““ as they embark on a
geographical and spiritual journey away from Cuba, in search of a
better life with freedom.
The play was actually inspired by another artistic medium
““ a painting titled “The Lovers” by French
painter Magritte. Cruz said the painting depicts two lovers with
white bags covering their faces, kissing. Immediately captivated by
the image, he began writing the initial version of “A Bicycle
Country” while he was living in Venice, Italy.
Cruz originally designed the play to be set in the 1940s, after
World War II, with Italian characters, and had titled it
“Boot Days.” This version received a staged reading in
New York during the early 1990s. Then, in the mid-’90s, Cruz
changed the title to “Drinking the Sea.” Finally, the
play underwent a third revision to become “A Bicycle
Country,” in which Cruz has completely changed the setting
and characters from the original version.
“I think writing is about rewriting, and the play went
through a couple reincarnations,” Cruz said. “I think
that all along I was writing about Cuba.”
Having been rewritten so many times, the play should seem to be
flawless, and it is, according to director Richard Hochberg.
 (left to right) Armando Di Lorenzo,
Kadina de Elejalde and David
Barrera star in the play "A Bicycle Country." “The
language of the play, its poetry, and the way it was written so
beautifully ““ that very much appealed to me,” Hochberg
said.
“I was very attracted to the message behind the play and
the design elements,” he continued. “Being on a raft in
the middle of the ocean is a challenging thing to achieve in a
play.”
Another challenge Hochberg and the actors faced was that they
were only allotted a short, three-week rehearsal period. Hochberg
said that with a play as complex as “A Bicycle
Country,” they really could have used six weeks.
Kadina de Elejalde, who plays Ines, also expressed this concern.
For Elejalde, the pressure was actually worse because she joined
the cast one week late. But with the support of a very dedicated
director and the two other actors in the cast, she mastered her
character in very little time.
“I only had two weeks to do a two-hour play where my
character has a lot of monologues,” Elejalde said. “The
greatest challenge for me was to learn everything and give it the
depth it deserved.”
“I love the other two characters that I work with, and the
director is so passionate and committed, he just brought us into
that world instantly,” she continued. “He loves the
play and he communicated that love to us.”
With only three weeks to prepare before the play’s debut
in Los Angeles, Hochberg and the cast were also fortunate to have
the support of producer David Lee Strasberg and the Lee Strasberg
production crew. The production of “A Bicycle Country”
truly proved it was a success due to the teamwork of everyone
involved, from the actors to the set designers.
“The designers that were hired at the Strasberg Theater
were top-notch designers who made it easy for me to achieve my
vision and I worked well with the set designer, sound designer,
lighting and costume designers, who were so creative,”
Hochberg said. “It was a terrific experience, one of the best
I’ve had.”
With support coming from all aspects of the production, Hochberg
was able to direct the play that, according to Cruz, very closely
matched his original vision for the play. This vision was to create
something that allowed the audience to find their own meaning.
“I’m not so much interested in sending out a
message,” Cruz said. “I’m interested in beauty,
in being touched profoundly when one sees a piece of art, the power
of art and how a piece of writing can touch you. I think everyone
is entitled to interpretations.”
THEATER: “A Bicycle Country” plays
at the Marilyn Monroe Theater at the Lee Strasberg Creative Center,
7936 Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood until May 13, with
limited run performances Thursdays through Sundays. For ticket
pricing and information call The Lee Strasberg Creative Center Box
Office at (323) 650-7777 or go to www.strasberg.com.Â