No matter what the rest of the world might think, as far as Hugo E. Carbajal sees it, Elyot Chase in Private Lives has good intentions all round.
“The thing is that, my approach to him, is that he’s always coming from this place of love. He truly, deeply loves. But sometimes his mouth gets the best of him or his emotions get the best of him.”
As this will be the third time playing Elyot, Carbajal could be considered something of an authority on this creation of Noël Coward’s, set originally in Europe but re-set under the direction of KJ Sanchez from France to Argentina and Uruguay in the 1930s.
“We changed the location to South America to a time when Argentina was one of the biggest economies in the world and was on the brink of not being the biggest economy in the world. There’s something about these people who are from money who see the end kind of approaching but choose to not look at it in the eyes but let’s pretend everything is OK. Let’s pretend nothing is happening and live our extravagant life.”
In the play, Elyot and Amanda Pyrnne (Melissa Molano) who used to be married, find themselves honeymooning in adjoining rooms at the same hotel with their new spouses: Victor Prynne (Orlando Arriaga) and Sibyl Chase (Briana J. Resa.) Amanda and Elyot ‘s marriage ended five years earlier because while they were strongly attracted to each other, they just couldn’t get along with fights that were not only verbal but physical.
Elyot and Amanda find themselves drawn to each other again and in the second act of the three-act play, run off together, leaving behind their new spouses. “Amanda and Elyot sequester themselves in an apartment for several days, shutting out the whole outside world from responsibility,” Carbajal says. Eventually, as always, the peaceful accord does not last.
“I really love the challenge of playing Elyot because he’s so flawed and loving and broken,” Carbajal says. “He’s just a big ball of mess and there’s a lot of fun playing somebody who’s as messy and wonderful as him.”
“What I really love about Elyot is he has such a zest for life and for pleasure. And he’s unapologetic about it. There’s just something so beautiful about a person who lives truly in the moment and is not afraid to let himself be affected by what’s happening,” Carbajal says.
“He has no manners in a play of mannerisms.”
Carbajal, who has more than two decades of experience as a professional actor, says this Alley production is special to him.
“One thing for me that I love about this production is that it’s reimagined as a play that takes place in a Latin American country. It was originally a British play. We have a full Latino cast with a Latino director and Latino designers. It’s a beautiful opportunity to see the work what Latino artists can do with classical works like Coward We don’t just tell Latino stories by we can put ourselves in other stories and make them universal. I think that’s what I love about this production — the opportunity to shine. The opportunity to step into a role that I typically would not be seen for. That’s a great sense of pride for me. “
Asked why the play has continued to be done and so successfully, Carbajal says: “I think a lot of people see parts of themselves in one or several of the characters. Coward does such a beautiful job at telling the story. His wit and his writing is so poignant and almost timeless.
“People just see a morbid job in seeing this toxicity explode on stage,” he says. “It’s treated with a lens of absurdity, with a lens of let’s laugh at ourselves as human beings.
“Come for a good time. Grab yourself a nice drink beforehand and just come along for the rollercoaster ride. It will not disappoint.”
Performances are scheduled for May 23 through June 15 at at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and Sundays at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Alley Theatre, 615 Texas. For more information, call 713-220-5700 or visit alleytheatre.org $29-$89.
