A San Antonio author's major work gets a theatrical interpretation. The Classic Theater's adaptation of Sandra Cisneros's House on Mango Street opens on Friday night.
"It's a really beautiful story about a young girl who's growing up. My character is older Esperanza and I get to watch the memories unfold in front of me as I'm telling the story. And I get to see the younger Esperanza experience these moments with people and the places that she lived."
Gypsy Pantoja says the cast has nailed the spirit of the novel.
"There's an ensemble of six folks--three men and three women--and they each play upwards to seven, eight or nine characters each. And so you see these characters coming in and out of Esperanza's life, and how they impacted her."
"As an actor, is it a pleasure to do?"
"Absolutely. I'm onstage pretty much the entire production. And so is the younger Esperanza. We're both narrating the story. And it's fun to watch all these memories unfold in front of you."
"A little bit of a...ghosts of memories past kind of thing?"
"Yes, exactly, exactly!"
Theater-goers have a good chance to take in the production.
"We open this Friday, Sept. 2, and we will be running through Sept. 25th.
Shows are Friday and Saturdays at 8 o'clock, Sundays at 3 o'clock. We hope that everybody can make it out."
