Destiny of Desire Delights at the Goodman

Lots of people, when they see a soap opera coming down the road, high tail in the other direction.  It may be a personal problem.  And an unfortunate one because they might miss the decadently delicious Destiny of Desire playing at the Goodman.

Telenovelas and soap operas come from the same place and in effect are the same thing.  Elaborate stories filled with unexpected twists, salacious secrets, ample doses of intrigue and even an occasional murder or two.  And don’t forget the sex.  Over a billion people around the world look at the Spanish version of these decorative deceits every day.

One thing that they are not is funny.  And that’s what makes Destiny of Desire so special and so wonderful.  Billed as a play within a play, it functioned more as a wonderful farce.  The trappings were all there for a traditional intricately tailored plot.  The baby switching at birth, the simultaneously running rich man poor man dramas, the secret love affairs and role reversals.  It’s all here and then some.  But let’s say with Destiny of Desire, it’s all wearing summer clothes.  Even though you can’t wait to find out what’s going to happen to poor Hortensia (Elisa Bocanegra) and hope like hell the conniving Fabiola (Ruth Livier) lands squarely on her own petard by the end, the play’s construction is so light that you’re laughing much more than you’re worrying.

Filled with music and crammed with sensational acting, the production exists as a spectacle of quality that leaves the audience to simply sit and marvel.

Top to bottom, the actors all deserve high praise for their splendid performances.  You might want to single out Ruth Livier’s singular take on Fabiola Castillo, the money hungry status obsessed trophy wife of a wealthy casino owner.  Equal parts superficial airhead and ruthless cobra, the combination makes her character hilarious as she flounces around the stage in couture hoochie.  The shtick greatly dilutes her venom while pumping up the comic appeal.

Eduardo Enrikez as the banished heir to his father’s casino fortune stole the show. He pulled off the tasty heart throb easily and balanced the comedic and the dramatic with astonishing skill.  But it was his singing prowess that took him over the top.  In one solo, the audience nearly went rock stadium wild after he slid from impeccable tenor to reach, hold and sustain a gorgeous high note.

To match the richness of the plot and the dazzle of the performances, the quality of the set design got stepped up a notch; even by the Goodman’s standards.  Never was sumptuousness more subtly implied with such dramatic effect.

Destiny of Desire

Goodman Theater

Mar 11 – Apr 16