Earlier this week I met a few girlfriends at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. It's pretty unusual for me to go out on a Monday after work and even more unusual for me to travel below 14th street. (Because while I'm totally used to taking the public transportation, I can be lazy. And I avoid areas that are far from the uptown 6.) But I had a good reason. Brownsville Bred: the phenomenal one woman show "written, performed and lived" by Elaine Del Valle.
I first saw Brownsville Bred last year when Del Valle performed at Time Warner's corporate office. And I was so moved by her, that when I heard the show had returned to the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, I immediately bought a ticket.
Brownsville Bred is a Puerto Rican coming of age story unlike anything I've ever seen (or read). It hits every emotion. I laughed, I cried and I cheered. There were moments when I literally got chills - her performance is that powerful. You can feel her heartbreak and see the pain in her eyes. But it is her joy that is most palpable - it just fills the room. For those 90 minutes she's on stage, her dreams and fears become your own. Elaine Del Valle is a woman to root for. And her story is one that will stay with you long after you've left the theater.
While Brownsville Bred is Del Valle's experience of life growing up in Brooklyn at the height of the Crack & Crime Epidemic - her story is one that many will find relatable. Brownsville Bred is a MUST SEE. You don't have to be Puerto Rican (or even Latino) or from New York or of the generation to appreciate it. It goes beyond all of those things. Brownsville Bred is a journey of the human experience and what it means to persevere against all odds.
Once a writing professor told me that a good writer is able to put their pain on the page. Del Valle puts her pain and joy on the stage, front and center. And she does it with grace, humor and hope.
After the show, Del Valle invited the audience to meet her at the bar up the block. And even though it was 9 pm on a Monday and I had a long train ride home, I headed to the bar. And I was so happy I did! One of my friends is friends with Elaine (I think I can call her Elaine from this point on) and she made the introduction.
Elaine was super nice and easy going - for all of her well deserved accolades there wasn't anything pretentious about her. She sat with us for a while, we talked and laughed. And it was a genuine conversation, not someone trying to "work the room."
One of the things that I learned about Elaine was that she is the Founder and Co-Chair of The Mansion Ride for Autism Charity Cycling Event--named "one of “The Country’s TOP 35 Largest and Most Interesting Charity Rides” by Bicycling Magazine. When Elaine told me about her work with the Ascent School for Autism, my admiration for her grew more. As an autism mom and as someone who one day dreams of opening up my own school in The Bronx, I know how much The Mansion Ride means.
I got home after 11pm on a Monday night. And I was feeling it the next day, but it was so worth it.
So go see Brownsville Bred! I know I'm seeing it again.
Performances are every Mondays at 7pm at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe until August 25th. Tickets are $20. To learn more about Brownsville Bred and buy tickets click HERE.
Labels: Atypical Mami, Brownsville Bred, Elaine Del Valle, Events, Latina Writers, Mami Night Out, Mansion Ride for Autism, Nuyorican Poets Cafe, NYC
