The performance of Destiny of Desire, in which Karen Zacarías amazingly transforms the stage into a time machine in which the viewer travels back in time to relive family times in front of the television, causes the audience to experience a swing of emotions and memories.
And there was a time when watching soap operas on television was an excellent excuse to spend time with the family. Everyone watching the show suffered and laughed along with the actors as they performed melodramas, which in many cases, was the only opportunity they had all day to share stories and clichés about love, betrayal, and forbidden love.
The strength of a societal phenomenon like soap opera is combined with a world-class author's writing prowess, the cast's histrionic professionalism, and the cast's talent in Destiny of Desire.
Only someone with firsthand experience with the magnitude of the soap opera craze could accurately portray in writing, as Zacarías does, the influence it had on society and the dismantling of long-standing melodramatic clichés, such as machismo and female oppression.
The story begins one stormy night in Bellarica, Mexico, with the birth of two babies, one surrounded by wealth and the other of humble origins. This reality prompts a former beauty queen to exchange infants in a perverse act, leading to many unfortunate circumstances and incidents.
Destiny of Desire, directed by Tony Award winner Rubén Santiago-Hudson, provides the viewer with a series of choreographies by Lorna Ventura, live music led by Ricky González, and the performances of an outstanding cast headed by Julio Agustín, Yesenia Ayala, Carlos Gomez, Mandy Gonzalez, Tito Livas, Bianca Marroquin, James Olivas, Al Rodrigo, Emilia Suárez and Nancy Ticotin.
The Destiny of Desire season ends June 25 at The Old Globe. Tickets and schedules can be found at Theoldglobe.org
