Play encompasses Mission’s uniqueness

By Estela Fuentes
The Guardsman

Paul Flores’ masterful one-man show “You’re Gonna Cry” pays homage to the forgotten Latino community that was once the majority in the colorful history of the Mission.

The play’s purpose is to put a face on all the individuals who have slowly left the neighborhood. It is composed of characters who represent people of all ages, genders and ethnicities.

Although there is only one person on stage at all times, characters give their lines in a dialogue format, but it’s directed at someone allowing the character to respond in a way that offers the audience a chance to identify with them. Most of the recitation was given in a spoken-word style that grabs the audience’s attention.

Flores’ performance is amazing. The lighting would go dark for his costume changes and he would completely transform by the time the spotlight focused on him once again.

Everything in the play made me feel like I was in the Mission in the late ‘90s—from the attire of some of the characters to the way they spoke and the music played during the costume changes.

The play features several different characters—all performed by Flores with costume changes that were setup throughout the stage area. Most of the characters are Latino—people you would have run into on a regular basis while waking through the neighborhood.

A tough “cholo” calling himself El Chingon sets the premise for the play. He explains how people lived in the mid ‘90s in the colorful neighborhood. He also gives a dramatic closing monologue at the end of the show reminding the audience of the displacement of the people who once lived in the Mission.

We also meet Richard, the white guy who moved to the Mission because he found the neighborhood fascinating and delightful due to its inhabitants and the culture.

My personal favorite character is the dumpster-diving mother who takes home items she finds on the street.

She is an immigrant from Honduras, who most likely grew up in poverty and finds it unbelievable that people would throw away things which looked to be in good condition. As someone grew up in the Mission with a single mom who had the same tendency, this one hit close to home.

Just when you thought Flores couldn’t come up with anything more colorful, he did the beer dialogues—a puppet show comprising four different beer cans showing their toughness to each other and making the audience roar with laughter.

Lastly, we meet Bianca who gives us the perspective of a child living in the Mission. The audience is exposed to how children end up taking care of themselves when Bianca and her little sister are left alone by their babysitter. But even more shocking is how quickly their innocence is taken away when they witness a murder.

Watching the show brought back all the good memories and the culture I experienced when I lived in the Mission.

But its also a great eye opener for those who are new to the neighborhood. They get to experience what gave the Mission its rich color, and see how it’s slowly changed.

Flores is a community organizer, who has been part of different movements in support of low-income families who have fought off eviction.

“Gentrification will happen no matter what,” he said.

Flores explained that you may win a small battle against a landlord, but that gentrification is in the city’s best interest.

“I don’t think they care about gentrification; they call it urban renewal—mixed income living,” Flores said. “But what it really means is that poor people get kicked out of the city. Who are the poor people? Usually black and brown.”

Flores hopes his show will remind audiences of people who once lived in the city.

“I want them to remember the people that died on 24th Street,” Flores said. “I want them to think about what kind of culture are we bringing in and what’s gonna happen to the memory of 24th Street? Of the mission?”

He wants people to know what made 24th Street so amazing and unique.

Flores will take his one-man show to the Mission Dance Theater for a three-day run February 10-13. Here’s your second chance to see this incredible show. Don’t miss it.