Actor Edward Padilla recalls that his connection to musical theater began many years ago, when as a teenager he shared the stage with now-director Carlos Mendoza in a school production of The Wiz in San Diego.
“Carlos said that when he read this character and heard the music, he immediately thought of me,” Padilla said in an interview about his role in the musical Somewhere Over the Border, which runs through March 15 at the Joseph Clayes III Theater inside Cygnet Theatre at Liberty Station.
Padilla plays the dual roles of Don Napoleon and Silvano in this musical inspired by a true journey that blends magical realism with the narrative structure of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
The story follows Reina, a young woman who embarks on a journey toward the American Dream. The production incorporates Latin rhythms—cumbia, mariachi, boleros—alongside American rock and hip hop, in an original score by Brian Quijada.
Padilla described the play as an emotional space for reflection on the immigrant experience. “I come from an immigrant family; my mother arrived very young with four children, leaving one behind whom I have not been able to see for 40 years. This story has many connections to our family history,” he said.
The actor portrays two contrasting characters: a man who runs a small pupusa business and another marked by a difficult life, family loss, and addiction. “That contrast allows us to do fun things on stage, but also to show human fragility,” he explained.
Regarding the message of the production, Padilla said: “It’s an embrace of all immigrant communities, not only Latino communities. It speaks about hope, the longing for a better future, and the sacrifices made to achieve goals.”
He also reflected on how home can be built beyond geography: “The networks we create here can become family. Having to build new networks in another country is a kind of rebirth.”
The cast includes actors such as Crissy Guerrero, Vanessa Orozco, Luzma Ortiz, Luis Sherlinee, Dhani Solorio, and Fernando Vega, who bring to life a story that alternates between humor and social reflection. Padilla highlighted the talent of the group, many of them young performers: “Every night I feel grateful to share the stage with them.”
At the end of the performance, when the final piano note fades, the audience often rises to its feet. “Some people say they didn’t realize the level of sacrifice immigrants endure; others leave laughing and deeply moved,” the actor shared.
“This is a counterpoint to the negative rhetoric that we have in the world. It allows us to look deeper into what the real experience of an immigrant is and also to celebrate the immigrant experience,” he said, expressing himself with the comfort that comes from speaking in the language he adopted to unify his roots.