Hope: Part II of A Mexican Trilogy presented by Teatro Vista at The Den Theatre

Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended

"...There's a tone that can be found that meshes the eclectic songs and the sitcom storylines with the very real troubles of this family. Teatro Vista's production doesn't quite find that, instead finding a staging that feels like someone turning a television dial back and forth between three different styles."

Chicago Sun Times - Somewhat Recommended

"...As the Cuban Missile Crisis passes by, it's as though the Morales family is stuck inside a wannabe Ken Burns documentary. The family's lives are messy, but "Hope" is a very tidy play. There are no surprises: not in the plot, in the characters, in the scenes, or in the dialogue. We know how the Kennedy administration ended, sure, but that doesn't mean that a play like this one has to be so predictable."

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...The second half is beautifully devastating; Janyce Caraballo portrays younger sister Betty, whose coming of age is told through a clever staging device and framed by ominous news events such as the Cuban missile crisis. Pocket wisdom tells us that the truth is valued above all, but as Elena warns her daughter, "There is a cost to telling the truth," and this story argues that perhaps preserving hope is worth the cost of telling a lie."

Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended

"...Set in a decade usually devoted to the suppression of African Americans by the racist white society, it is intriguing to investigate the Hispanic culture of that time. Despite being set during this tumultuous time, the plot line and the character arcs were pretty tame and wholesome. Everyone who was in the wrong got their comeuppance, and our protagonists used their moral backbones to keep their heads held high. It is a true testament to the central themes of family, tradition, and culture and the prowess of the ensemble of actors that despite the cliches and the superfluous songs, you will leave the theatre as invested in the Morales family as your own."