[THEATER REVIEW] Empanada Loca is an entertaining new take on Sweeney Todd

Majestic Repertory Theatre out of Las Vegas is renowned for their unique, immersive takes on familiar stories. Now the award winning theater troupe has brought one of their hits to Southern California. 

Empanada Loca is, in its essence, a retelling of the tale of Sweeney Todd, the macabre story that first appeared in the penny dreadfuls that was later adapted into a hit musical. Writer Aaron Mark swaps Victorian London for modern day Washington Heights, but his rendition is just as grisly and complex as the beloved Broadway version. 

In a dimly lit subway tunnel, the audience meets Dolores, a woman who was on track to be a community planner until true love blinded her and sent her down a path of dealing drugs, leading to a harsh prison sentence. Thirteen years later, Dolores is back in the Heights, only now it’s been gentrified. She seeks refuge at the only place that holds familiarity: the local empanada shop. 

Dolores rekindles her friendship with the owner and sets up a massage parlor in the basement. She is on the path to reformation when the landlord comes to collect. Dolores responds to this abstract violence in the form of a threat to her new life with literal violence. She confides in the owner of the shop and finds him a bit too eager to experiment with his empanada recipes. 

The staging for this story couldn’t be simpler: the audience and Dolores are sitting in an abandoned subway tunnel together, having a conversation, one-sided though it may be. The theater’s entrance is a facade that replicates the dirty subway tunnel. Audience members round the corner to a dark theater, take their seat, and wait patiently until Dolores arrives. It feels less like the beginning of a show and more like a meet-cute between her and the audience. Soon enough she segues into her life story. 

There are moments when one could forget they are watching a play with several strangers, as the staging is built around creating an intimacy with Dolores. The lighting and sound design were intentionally minimal. Director Troy Heard resists the temptation of self-indulgence, ensuring all creative decisions are in service of audience immersion.  

Excellent as the staging was, the true standouts of this show are the sharp, layered writing of Aaron Mark and the equally brilliant performance of Amanda Guardado. The latter grabs the audience from the beginning and never once lets go. A show that is essentially a 90 minute monologue requires a certain polish, and it takes an incredible actor to make that polish feel authentic. Guardado’s performance somehow works with, rather than against, the immersive staging while also shining on its own.

Empanada Loca is worth a watch, not only for Guardado’s masterclass in solo acting, but also to see how the immersive staging elements are used as legitimate storytelling devices. Majestic Repertory puts you in the world of Dolores, delivering a connection with the character which creates a level of empathy seldom achieved in the traditional theatrical experience.