"The beats that manifest inside 15-year-old Mateo's head range from banger to bangerest, an ascendant musicality crafted from ambient sound. As an example, back in the day, radio static might mean a continued search for a clear signal to get some tunes for cruising. For Mateo, that same static is just another way to enter the cypher and drop some sickness with a quickness. Diane doesn't fully understand her precocious teen, which doesn't make her different from a lot of parents."
"The two may have their differences due to Mateo's status as a professional teenager, but a deep, profound love fuels their critical mission of a road trip from Ohio to San Diego in order to find Mateo's birth mother. TheatreWorks Silicon Valley's A Driving Beat, a metaphorically rich play by Jordan Ramirez Puckett, has a lot going for it, including a story that compels for multiple reasons. It benefits from delightfully fluid staging from director Jeffrey Lo."
Mateo is a 15-year-old whose inner soundscape turns ambient noise and radio static into beats and lyrical cyphers. Diane, his white mother, struggles to fully understand her precocious son while sharing a deep, profound love. They embark on a road trip from Ohio to San Diego to find Mateo's birth mother, encountering humor, danger and prejudice along the way. Performers Jon Viktor Corpuz and Lee Ann Payne form a tender, buddy-like connection. Jeffrey Lo’s fluid staging enhances the production. The script alternates between touching moments and passages that feel outlandish or inane, creating an uneven but compelling theatrical experience.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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