Colombia is a country whose spirit reveals itself in many ways: in the kindness of its people and in its diverse landscapes — from the natural termales to serene pueblos to big modern cities — in an extraordinary culture shaped both by deep scars, like the lasting trauma of Pablo Escobar, and the enduring beat of its music, both past and present, that is enmeshed in its civic pride.
Aguardiente: Where Music Transcends Borders, a world premiere musical commissioned by GALA Hispanic Theatre and conceived by Puerto Rican artist Luis Salgado and Colombian artist Daniel Alejandro Gutiérrez, unfortunately fails to embody the spirit it promises.
This production has an enormous opportunity to embrace Colombia, and Latin America more broadly, a subject not often covered on the region’s stages. Commissioned by GALA for its 50th-anniversary season, Aguardiente is a bilingual production with English surtitles displayed on screens adjacent to the stage. It tells the story of Alberto (Samuel Garnica) and Alejandro (Sebastián Treviño), who are working furiously to complete a new theatrical production. As they develop their play, the characters come alive onstage, creating a play-within-a-play structure.
The opportunity stumbles on multiple fronts. There is so much ambition here, amid 30 songs by Gutiérrez, who also directs a seven-person live band. Supporting cast members, such as Shayla Hernández’s Kiara and Ana Luisa Martínez’s Anis, provide both comic relief and necessary passion to their roles.
Yet the clear effort behind this production falters; Salgado’s book is too long and takes the audience in too many directions. A show that shifts between reality and imagination — the latter filled with saucy Afro-Caribbean beats — also includes unnecessary plot complications like a focus on Kiara as a social media influencer, a bewildering insistence on including a circus in the story, and too many characters to follow. Salgado creates a landscape populated by multiple characters, but does not do enough to develop the two core characters.
For example, at the end of the first act, the play tries to create a dramatic arc that culminates with a smashed computer and a (forced) trip to London, where our writers are lured by the financial promises of the evil producer Eve (Eric González, curiously clad in a bright banana-yellow suit throughout most of the show). But why? There’s no link to previous plot points to connect the dots. Characters seem to hop from one inconsistent decision to another. For example, one central character suddenly becomes a lesbian and falls in love with her employer after singing several songs about her devotion to another character? And did I mention the circus references? It is all just so overwhelming.
The music has its moments; Gutiérrez’s “Aqui se Aprende,” sung and reprised in the first act, has a fun pace and benefits from Salgado’s excellent choreography (a constant throughout the show). “La Semilla,” another song repeated (both in the second act), hits some beautiful notes.
Yet the songs are undermined by so much else happening in this story, including the unnecessary detour to London, where González’s Eve saunters his way through “Wear Something Fancy,” clothes flying off hangers in a scene suited better for the next Devil Wears Prada than for a show embracing the magic of Latin America.
The projection design, by Milton Cordero, is equally mystifying. The production leans heavily on projections as backdrops rather than sets (scenic design by Clifton Chadick), yet it is chiefly stock imagery that could have emerged out of ChatGPT. In London, that means generic images that say “YSL” and “Prada.” And in the show’s mystical scenes, theoretically set in Latin America, waterfalls and small towns are depicted that could be anywhere. It also falters in Madeline Oslejek’s sound design, including when a video call is projected on screen during the first act, with significant audio difficulties. Colin K. Bills’ lighting design contributes some lovely moments to the show, highlighting textures in Jeannette Christensen’s well-designed costumes.
World premieres are often exciting opportunities for theaters to cultivate and showcase a new work; yet Salgado and Gutiérrez’s production would benefit from further development and tightening. This 160-minute show could be more effectively a 120-minute show. The show’s dance numbers are consistently fun, and the pace of the show is upbeat, but it all unravels in the breadth of the production.
Running Time: Two hours and 40 minutes, including one 10-minute intermission.
Aguardiente: Where Magic Transcends Borders plays through May 24, 2026, at GALA Hispanic Theatre, 3333 14th St NW, Washington, DC. Performances are Thursdays-Saturdays at 8:00 PM and Sundays at 2:00 PM. Purchase tickets $25–$65) online or call 202-234-7174.
Bilingual with surtitles in English and Spanish.
The playbill is online here (scroll down).
GALA Theatre is fully accessible, with an elevator and wheelchair seating. Validated parking ($4) is available at the Giant garage on Park Road NW, with additional parking at the Target garage. GALA is one block from the Columbia Heights Metro (Green/Yellow lines).
SEE ALSO:
With ‘Aguardiente’ at GALA, Luis Salgado adds ‘playwright’ to his résumé (interview by Julia Tucker with director/choreographer Luis Salgado and lead actor Samuel Garnica, April 29, 2026)
GALA to premiere new musical ‘Aguardiente’ (news story, March 23, 2026)
