FLY ME TO THE SUN

Everyone in SoCal has got to see Gerardo Navarro, Jr. in Fly Me to the Sun right now—I predict that he’ll be the next big thing in acting. (At least, if life is fair, he will be!) He’s the true definition of “amazing!” To show biz bigwigs I say: give that guy a sitcom pronto!

My glowing description of his tour de force performance in this play can’t possibly do him complete justice, but I’ll try.

Gerardo is sooo multi-talented. His acting, both comedic and serious, is spot-on, he dances great, his singing voice is lovely, he’s bi-lingual, (with the appropriate El Salvador accent when necessary,) and his looks are absolutely adorable! And, in this presentation, he’s a puppet master, as well!!!! OMG! He changes between the two voices and accents in a blink of an eye!!! If he ever went on AGT with this entire act, he’d win!!!

It’s hard to describe the narrative of Fly Me to the Sun without ruining some surprises, but this one time, I feel that I must. It appears that a little kid, BQ, is doing some sort of Public Access show from his home in Illinois in the 1990s. (As the Queen of Public Access myself back in the day, and the only one of that genre of television to ever be a guest on The Tonight Show—and multiple times at that!—I guess I should recognize one.) The character mentions that he’s seven-years-old, (even though the actor, Gerardo, is clearly in his twenties,) but if you miss those few words in the melange of what is basically a monologue, (which is all good, by the way,) you’ll be lost, so that’s why I’m telling you now. (My friend, Marc, thought the character was joking, so he didn’t understand a lot of the story, but he actually didn’t even need to because he loved all of it, anyway.) I do have to admit that for about the first ten minutes or so, I had no idea what was going on, but as Marc said, it’s totally entertaining. He also declared Navarro to be “mesmerizing.” I agree. In addition to being comedic, the scenes between BQ and his grandmother, (the puppet,) are heartwarming.

So the action is that BQ is doing this live “TV show” from his living room and kitchen, aided by his unbelievably helpful older brother, DJ. That could be a thankless part to play behind the incredible talents of Gerardo, but Noé Cervantes is wonderful in the supporting role. He’s a very talented musician, DJ, and comedian himself, and always seems happy with whatever he’s doing on stage, whether he’s spinning beats, playing an instrument, or “baking” as grandma’s hands, (which you’ll understand when you see this production.) So major kudos to him, as well.

So much is going on here—comedy, pathos, singing, dancing, videos, all kinds of music including rapping, and my fave—puppetry! I loved it all. And it moves seamlessly from one bit to the other, with no slow-downs at all. Fly Me to the Sun has the most “business” I’ve ever seen. (For you non-show-biz folks, “business” refers to the actions and activities that actors do on stage, such as pouring a drink, changing clothes, opening mail, etc.)

Fly Me to the Sun is the story of two brothers of Salvadoran descent, whose true Salvadoran grandmother, (you can’t live in LA without knowing the word “abuela,”) lives with their family in Chicago for a few of the boys’ formative years. Anyone who loved their grandmas when they were little will immediately grok the situation. (I absolutely adored when mine stayed with us for a few short days here and there, and she lived only two miles away!)

I believe that playwright Brian Quijada based his script on his own childhood, and now he has his real-life bro, Marvin Quijada, by his side doing all the music for his offerings. I so admire that. An abundance of work went into all of it—the writing, directing, music, and acting. And it’s all phenomenal.

I must give a special shout-out to the wonderful projections that are featured in the “windows” at the back of the set. My very first note was that “I like the clouds” that are on the “sky” out of them, but the visuals get even better in that area as the piece goes on. It’s all very creative.

This was funny to me: When I noticed Gerardo donning a dress and a wig near the very end to do one last very touching scene, now as his abuela, I whispered to Marc, “Norman Bates!” When I told that to the actor at the end of the evening, (hoping he wouldn’t mind,) he said that the cast and creatives themselves refer to that scene the same way! I loved that!

My one and only teensy-tiny problem with the play is that, even with all the fabulous-ness, it does get a little long in the tooth. Though the program states that it’s eighty minutes, it’s really one hundred and ten minutes! (The program is also incorrect in saying the “Time” is “1990-1998.” But one of the scenes on a TV screen on the set says that it’s 1999! So the Fountain Theatre needs a little help in the math department, on both fronts!)

Fly Me to the Sun is for absolutely everyone. We noticed everything from hipsters to couples to families in the crowd, and of all ages and ethnicities. It will make everyone want to go visit, or at least call, their grandparents as soon as the show is over, if it’s still possible in their lives. I especially appreciate the topic because just a year ago I wrote an entire article about being kind to our elders, (which you can still read right here: itsnotaboutme.tv/news/karens-lessons-dont-give-ourselves-anything-to-regret-regarding-our-loved-ones.)

And on another bit of seriousness that the show brought up, one of the lines in Fly Me to the Sun, “Not everyone can afford to dream,” resonated with me in the wake of the unfortunate situation that a lot of people in this country, especially right here in LA, are in right now, with all the destructive ICE raids. I always pray that things will get better soon, and then everyone can afford to dream again!

On a much lighter note, this was my first visit to the Fountain, and I found it to be an interesting theater. If you get there with some time to spare, you can go upstairs next door to a cute little colorful cafe, where you can purchase all kinds of snacks and drinks. And then after every performance, the entire audience is invited up there for complimentary cheese-filled pupusas, which are basically the quesadillas of El Salvador. Let me tell you—they are delish!  They serve them with spicy coleslaw and a thin, mild tomato sauce. Yum. Equally yummy for the guests is the opportunity to chat with Gerardo and Noé up there! Marc and I wound-up hanging with Gerardo almost the whole time, which was so much fun. But when I went over to say hi to him at first, I couldn’t even talk because I started to choke-up from how wonderful his work is.

And here’s some more good news—there are some performances all in Spanish! (Their site below will explain it all.)

I end this review as I began it—see Gerardo Navarro, Jr. now before he gets famous. (And remember—I said the same thing about Adam Lambert before he was on American Idol! So always heed my words!)

Fly Me to the Sun running through October 12, 2025
The Fountain Theatre
5060 Fountain Ave., Los Angeles
323-663–1525  www.fountaintheatre.com