"River Bride" brings mystical Brazilian folktale to the stage
The Arvada Center has launched a production of "The River Bride", which is based on a Brazilian folktale and set on the Amazon River. In the days before a young woman's wedding, fishermen pull a stranger out of river, but is it a man? Or an encantado?
"It's a story that's near and dear to my heart because it's about being brave in love and what happens when you are and what happens when you aren't," said Jamie Ann Romero, director of the production.
Themes of love, courage, and family will speak to every audience member, but "The River Bride" is wrapped in a mysticism that is common in Latino culture.
"It's a Brazilian story, and there are so few in American culture," said Philip Ambrose, the actor who plays the mysterious stranger, "Moises."
Ambrose's Brazilian roots give him a deeper connection with the folktale.
"It makes all sorts of sense to me, and it feels very familiar," he told CBS News Colorado.
Gabriella Cavallero plays Senora Costa.
"She's like the earth mamma, holding things together. She's all about her daughters' being happy, having everything work together," Cavallero explained.
Cavallero loves the themes of the play, and the lyrical writing, but it's the camraderie among the entirely Latinx cast that feels like home.
"Everything about this play and this production has been really amazing for me," she said.
Romero has directed a production that promises to be a rich experience for every audience member.
" I hope they leave the theatre with a little sense of magic, and I hope it inspires them to be brave in love, to choose it, and accept it and to believe in it," she said.
LINK: Tickets & Information for "The River Bride"
"The River Bride" runs September 30 – November 06, 2022, in the Black Box Theatre at the Arvada Center.
