‘¡VOS!,’ bold new play at Two River Theater, depicts life in a time of fascism, among other things

T. CHARLES ERICKSON

Alexandra Silber, left, and Christina Pumariega co-star in “¡VOS!,” which is at The Two River Theater in Red Bank through April 27.

Fascism is on the rise … among other places, on the stage of Two River Theater in Red Bank, which is presenting the world premiere of Christina Pumariega’s “¡VOS! through April 27.

“We are steps away from living in a fascist state,” goes one piece of dialogue.

“No one is safe anymore. This is real. This is happening,” goes another.

It is the mid-’70s, in Buenos Aires. The time of what is called The Dirty War. Ana is a law student and active in the Peron Youth activist organization, fighting against the authoritarian forces that have taken over the country and are cruelly “disappearing” those who disagree when them. Sofia is new to the cause and eager to assist her.

An intense bond develops between them. But is there a future for them in this rapidly changing country?

T. CHARLES ERICKSON

Alexandra Silber, left, and Christina Pumariega in “¡VOS!”

And that is just half of “¡VOS!” The other half takes place in the mid-2010s, also in Buenos Aires, where Annie, a divorced Argentine-American book editor with only a limited ability to speak Spanish, is living. She was born in Argentina but taken to live in Louisiana at such a young age that she remembers nothing about her time there, and is now returning, for the first time, after discovering that her late mother owned an apartment in the city’s Palermo neighborhood. She is childless and, while she had previously been unsuccessful with fertility treatments and given up, she has now decided to try again in Buenos Aires, with Dr. Cossi.

Pumariega plays both Sofia and Annie; Alexandra Silber is Ana and Dr. Cossi, as well as one other character who seems to be there mainly to provide historical background.

The two storylines intertwine, with some common themes. While Annie yearns for motherhood, Ana has a child she can’t give as much attention to as she would like, due to life’s other demands on her. The characters played by Pumariega seem hesitant and unsure of themselves; Silber’s seem more wise and experienced. Silber does a particularly good job of making Ana and Dr. Cossi seem confident, charismatic, almost larger-than-life: People who can be role models for the more obviously flawed, more relatable (for most people, I assume) characters Pumariega plays.

It isn’t until the end of the play that the strongest connection between what happened in the ’70s, and what is happening 40 years later, becomes apparent. And everything, in a sense, falls into place.

T. CHARLES ERICKSON

The set for one scene of “¡VOS!”

Pumariega is deeply experienced as an actress and as a writer for TV, but this is her first produced play. Director Nicole A. Watson — along with scenic designer Lawrence E. Moten III, projection designer Kelly Colburn, lighting designer Carolina Ortiz Herrera and sound designer Sinan Refik Zafar — help make it sleek and stylish, with imaginative visuals (check out the haunting eyes in the image included here) and scene-setting sound effects. There is always something going on, beyond the characters’ conversations.

“¡VOS!” is a small play, in one sense — it is basically made up of conversations between two pairs of characters. But it is also a big play, in that it depicts characters grappling with big questions, and — in the 1970s scenes, at least — caught up in a immense historical forces beyond their control.

I admire Pumariega’s boldness. But I question her decision to make her two storylines seem so disconnected, for so long. When the connection is finally revealed, so late in the play, it does offer some resolution, but also seems a bit contrived.

The Two River Theater in Red Bank will present “¡VOS” through April 27. Visit tworivertheater.org.