Update: ICE has been extended through June 24, 2018. (It was supposed to run through June 10 originally.)
Beautifully balanced between entertaining and moving, ICE, now at 24th Street Theatre, tells the story of two men from Sinaloa, Mexico, who arrived in the U.S. with no documents but lots of dreams. With an ice-cream-turned-into-taco truck, and the secret salsa recipe from an aunt back home, they set out to “be American” and, in the process, to figure out exactly what that should mean.
Written by Leon Martell and directed by Debbie Devine, the play is bilingual (as is every project is at 24th Street) and stars Jesus Castaños-Chima, Tony Duran, and Davitt Felder. It is set in 1988, in Los Angeles, the year the Dodgers won the World Series, which was also a year in which immigration was of as much concern as it is today. ICE is a story about adult dreamers, adults who have immigrated to the U.S. with a dream, and about the reasons for which they’ve come and their struggles to “make-it.”
There are three main items on stage – a pair of oversized old-style TVs, a taco truck (which even has its own Twitter account!) and a stained glass church window. The production adds movement and even characters through dynamic projections and screen visuals. There are supertitles in both English and Spanish, so that monolinguals (in either language) can understand the full story. Both an actor and a musician, Feller adds a bit of live music into the performance.
This play welcomes patrons seven years old and above. It is enjoyable and touching and definitely a play that our immigrant community in Los Angeles will enjoy. It needs no perks, but it has one – every person in the audience gets a ticket after the show for a free ice cream from the real ice cream truck parked right outside the theater!
ICE performs Saturdays and Sundays through June 24, 2018. Tickets are $24 for adults, $10 for children (up to 18), $15 for seniors, students, and teachers. North University Park residents (with ID) pay $2.40.
24th Street Theatre is located at 1117 West 24th Street, in Los Angeles 90007. Find more information at 24thstreet.org or by calling (213) 745-6516.
Tell about the south 