Friendships Tested in ‘Living & Breathing’ at Two River Theater

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Mando Alvarado, playwright, TV writer and actor, brings his thought-provoking play “Living & Breathing” to the Two River Theater Jan. 28 through Feb. 26. Courtesy Two River Theater

By Mary Ann Bourbeau

RED BANK – Much of the darkly funny play “Living & Breathing,” which premieres at the Two River Theater Jan. 28, is based on the real-life experiences of its writer, Mando Alvarado, and the relationships he formed with his male friends. Growing up in a small South Texas town, he was comfortably surrounded mostly by other Mexican Americans. It wasn’t until he left Texas for New York City that Alvarado began to feel like an outsider.

“Most of my friends were white, so a lot of times I was the token in a group of people,” he said. “I would make an ethnic joke just to break the ice.”

It was his love for acting that drew Alvarado out of Texas in the first place. As a football player in seventh grade, he was required to keep his grades up but found himself barely passing his drama class. His teacher gave him a role in a one-act play.

“I was horrible, very stiff” he said. “But the bug bit me.”

Alvarado continued to act all throughout high school but never considered it as a career. He went on to study architecture until he realized he couldn’t grasp the physics part of it.

“I felt like George Costanza,” he said, referencing the Seinfeld character who had pie-in-the-sky dreams of being an architect.

Meanwhile, his best friend, Michael Ray Escamilla, had earned an acting degree and was living the life of a theater artist in New York, something that really appealed to Alvarado.

“I was never interested in being a movie star,” he said.

Alvarado trained at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He moved to New York and worked as an actor but soon discovered his love of writing eclipsed that. He started writing plays, several of which were produced in New York City, including “Parachute Men,” “Basilica” and “Post No Bills.”

When his wife became pregnant with the first of their two children, the couple moved to Los Angeles, where Alvarado began working in television as an actor, producer and writer. He had roles in “Law and Order,” “The Sopranos” and “Nurse Jackie,” among others. His first feature film, “Cruzando,” which he co-wrote and co-directed with Escamilla, was screened at the HBO New York International Latino Film Festival, Newport Beach International Film Festival and London Latino International Film Festival.

In 2008, Alvarado traveled to New Jersey to see Escamilla’s performance in the play “Art” at Two River Theater, which inspired him to write “Living & Breathing.” He wanted to write a play that portrayed male friendships that mirrored the ones he had with his closest companions.

“The main character in ‘Living & Breathing’ is a combination of Michael and me, the way we see the world and the discussions we had about how we see race,” he said.

The play involves the impulsive purchase of some provocative art – a living Latino man who is paid to behave as a statue. It shatters a friend group consisting of Michael, a Mexican American; Todd, who is of Irish descent, and Jeremy, who is African American and Jewish. The presence of the “statue” sparks questions of commodification, stereotypes and complacency. They find that the friendship among the three men, who met at 18 and are now in their 30s, is much more fragile than they realized.

“They’ve each grown and evolved in their own ways at different paces,” said Alvarado. “If they met today, they probably wouldn’t be friends. The play explores how they see the world and how race plays a role in relationships. There’s a little cringe humor and inappropriate sentiments about friendship and race. But when we confront our own personal biases, we can start to have real conversations.”

The cast includes Chris Gardner as Jeremy, Carlos Ibarra as Ruben, Michael Markham as Todd and Christopher M. Ramirez as Michael. The production is directed by Rebecca Martínez.

“These are very talented actors,” said Alvarado. “Each brings wonderful heart to the role. It’s great to see them fully live these characters.”

“Living & Breathing” was part of the Two River Theater’s Crossing Borders Festival in 2019 and Alvarado was thrilled to bring it back for a full production as a tribute to Escamilla, who died in 2021.

“It is a rare piece that will have you laughing, challenge your assumptions and spark poignant conversations,” said Justin Waldman, Two River Theater’s artistic director.

“Living & Breathing” runs from Jan. 28 to Feb. 26. Tickets range from $50 to $70 with discounts available for groups, seniors, U.S. military personnel, their families and veterans. For more information, visit tworivertheater.org.

The article originally appeared in the January 19 – 25, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.