Quick Look: "NOVIOS" by Arturo Luíz Soria

Title: NOVIOS 

Author: Arturo Luíz Soria

Genre: Realistic, Play

Big Ideas (Themes): Culture, Family, Identity, Loss

Book Size: Play

World Categories - Setting: North America - U.S. & Canada

World Categories - Characters: Black, Latinx, Third Culture, North American - U.S. & Canada, Mexican, Central American, Caribbean

World Categories - Author: Latinx, North American - U.S. & Canada

Other Representation - Characters: LGBTQ+ characters

Reading Level Based on Difficulty: High School

Maturity Level Based on Content: Adult

Sensitive or Mature Topics Include: Sex, Sexual Violence

Notes on Sensitive or Adult Topics: The play notes call for pretty explicit sex scenes - as in it isn't merely alluded to but intended to be seen on stage. Of course actual stagings would vary. The sexual violence is attempted, but thwarted.

Series?

Number of Books in Series:

Introductory Summary:

Presented as a reading at La Jolla Playhouse's Latinx New Play Festival, Novios explores the culture and relationships behind the scenes of a failing restaurant. Luiz is on the bottom of the social hierarchy where he washes dishes in Chef Gallo's kitchen surrounded by cooks and food runners cracking jokes with a biting machismo. When an openly flamboyant new dishwasher joins the staff, Luiz's secrets and everyone else's come to light as they fight to keep their failing restaurant afloat. 

What I liked about this play:

While at first the play appears to start off as a trope about a young closeted gay man afraid to come out, Novios slowly peels back layer after layer to reveal a complexity of plot and characters that I wasn't expecting. Chef Gallo and Luis's backstory, as well as that of the food runner Vlad, are dished out slowly, so that the ending while not particularly happy is darkly satisfying.

3 Reasons Students/Audiences Will Like This Play:

Audiences will enjoy how Novios mixes humor and drama. Interwoven with poetic and dramatic reveals of the other characters' histories, the kitchen cooks provide a comic relief full of insults and debates over their treatment of the women in their lives. The characters represent an array of Latinx peoples from different countries, backgrounds and melanin-types. While the core storytelling that drives the plot is full of unexpected twists that keep the audience intrigued and invested. 

Teaching Notes / Recommendations:

This play would be rated mature with adult content. As an adult study, I would focus on the contemporary issues of how homosexuality is viewed in different countries and cultures, as well as on the symbolism of the desert, food, butcher, and of course, the theme of the American dream.

Learn more about La Jolla Playhouses annual LatinX New Play Festival.

Photo Disclaimer: Please forgive the use of AI image to capture a feel for the setting and characters and is not intended to depict actual actors or play reading and leaves much to be desired.