Photo: Manuel Andrade Magally Rizo Antuna   Empty church filled with life. THE MIRACLE AT TEPEYAC Grade: B+ There are ghosts in the walls of St. Cajetan's Church, remnants of a vibrant Hispanic community full of shops, homes and a school. They were all dispersed in the early 1970's when the neighborhood was razed to make way for the Auraria Campus. But each December; tribute is paid and the now deconsecrated church comes back to life with the Miracle at Tepeyac, a piece of folk theater that is as much ritual as it is script. There are two miracles at play here. The first, that of the title, is the appearance of the brown-skinned Virgin to an Indian, Juan Diego, on a hill outside of Mexico City. She became the patron saint for the Americas, a sign to Hispanics and Indians that the holy come in many skin tones. The second miracle occurs through Dec. 16, as the performers and audiences at St. Cajetan's recreate a community long gone. The El Centro Su Teatro production, written by Anthony J. Garcia, intertwines the story of the apparition at Tepeyac witha pre-Auraria tale of a Chicano priest (Hugo E. Carbajal) who would rather be a bureaucrat than deal with his poor, frequently immigrant parishoners. As it takes Juan Diego (Jorge Huerta) to convince the Catholic Church of his vision, it fall to Juanito (Manuel R. Roybal Sr.), a hapless janitor, to restore St. Cajetan's to its position as a sactuary for the troubled. The stories are secondary to the piece as a whole, partly because the music and dance of the production are so entrancing and partly because elements of the script go unheard in the cavernous church (Reyes in particular is almost impossible to understand). The event begins with a processional led by a quartet of Aztec dancers whose footwork is matched by glorious costumes topped by towering headdresses. The cast, contemporary and historic, follows, along with a collection of expert musicians playing guitars, gittarons, and a drum. Throughout the performance, folk melodies and a thrillingly full orchestra swell the room. Dramatically, Miracle could use more tension and catharsis. But as a ritual, it succeeds completely.

THEATER

"Buffeted by parking lots and the remnants of a an old neighborhood, The Miracle at Tepeyac finds the crossroads between religion and drama, doing what both do best: creating an organic release for performers and audience. An El Centro Su Teatro production, the play recounts both the appearance of the Virgin of Guadalupe in 16th-century Mexico and the Hispanic community that existed until the early 1970s on the land now occupied by Auraria campus. Staged inside the whitewashed walls of the deconsecrated St. Cajetan's Church, the play's music, dance and lighting bring life back to an old building. Performances continue at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays through Dec. 16. Tickets are $10 to $15. Information: (303) 296-0219."

Lisa Bornstein
December 8, 2001