Photo by Dan Norman
When words fail them, this family dances. Through alternating currents of joy and profound loss, Matthew Lopez’s “Somewhere,” currently at the Guthrie, is a poignant exploration of resilience and ambition, capturing the heart of a family clinging to their Broadway dreams amid the shifting landscape of 1959 New York City. As the relentless tide of urban development, specifically the construction of Lincoln Center, threatens their home, the Candelaria family must navigate the devastating loss of their apartment, the only sanctuary they have ever known. Lopez masterfully intertwines their personal struggles with the larger narrative of displacement, creating a moving tribute to the sacrifices made for art and survival.
A family drama is incomplete without a family we can root for, and this cast delivers. Maggie Bofill, as the Candelaria matriarch Inez, is a stage mother with oversized dreams and an even bigger heart. Bofill delivers all the bravado of a Mama Rose, infused with a Puerto Rican accent and a spirit overflowing with love for her children. She is both loud and wonderfully nuanced, peeling back the layers of a mother who only wants to see her kids happy and shining on the stage.
It is her eldest son, Alejandro (Preston Perez), who holds this family together in the aching absence of their father. There are moments when we feel Alejandro’s longing for what might have been with a simple, distant gaze or the precise point of his toe. Perez moves with the fluid grace of a dancer and the gritty fight of a boxer. Their dance duet between mother and son in Act 1 is remarkably simple and subtle, yet it speaks volumes about not only the relationship between these characters, but the profound trust between these two actors.
Maija Garcia’s choreography is simply exquisite. This is not a show about flashy production numbers; it is one in which movement is a natural extension of the characters, their emotions, and those deep longings not for what was, but for what can be.
Photo by Dan Norman
The younger Candelarias, Rebecca (Kassandra Cruz) and Francisco (Antonio Teodoro, stepping in as understudy), each seize their moments to shine from their very first entrances. In their own way, they too have been groomed by their mother to believe that they can do anything and be anyone with the right lessons and enough practice. As the “taken in” son Jamie, Chanhassen Dinner Theatres favorite Sam Stoll has his song-and-dance skills on full display for the first time at the Guthrie. Stoll knows how to tell a story on stage with his charisma and feet like few others in the Twin Cities. His performance is nuanced to match each of the Candelarias, seamlessly shifting, whether he is part of the dream or the very realistic truth at hand.
The design team has triumphed again, constructing two full-scale apartments that vividly come to life with music and dance. It is, however, the tiniest of details that make these lived-in spaces shine. From the well-loved vinyl collection to the “bank” kept in a coffee can, these are rooms that authentically serve every purpose, transforming from an overcrowded bedroom to an impromptu dance studio.
“Somewhere” reminds us to dream, even when others do not understand our vision. Mother Inez sums it up for her family in a passage that rings true today: “We are a family of dreamers. We force the world to look like our dreams. We do not force our dreams to look like the world.”
Do yourself a favor and put “Somewhere” on your 2026 dance card. It is the perfect way to start the year off right.
“Somewhere” is playing now through February 1; guthrietheater.org
