My glowing description of his tour de force performance in this play can\u2019t possibly do him complete justice, but I\u2019ll try.<\/p>\n
![\""Abuelita](\"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Fly-Me-to-the-Sun_80-e1758741269548.jpg\")
<\/a>“Abuelita Julia” and Gerardo Navarro.
Photo by Areon Media, as is the one at the top of this review.<\/p><\/div>\n
Gerardo is sooo multi-talented. His acting, both comedic and serious, is spot-on, he dances great, his singing voice is lovely, he\u2019s bi-lingual, (with the appropriate El Salvador accent when necessary,) and his looks are absolutely adorable! And, in this<\/em> presentation, he\u2019s 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<\/em> with this entire act, he\u2019d win!!!<\/p>\n It\u2019s hard to describe the narrative of Fly Me to the Sun<\/em> 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<\/em>\u2014and multiple times at that!\u2014I guess I should recognize one.) The character<\/em> mentions that he\u2019s 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\u2019ll be lost, so that\u2019s why I\u2019m telling you now. (My friend, Marc, thought the character was joking, so he didn\u2019t understand a lot of the story, but he actually didn\u2019t even need<\/em> to because he loved all of it, anyway.) I do<\/em> 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 \u201cmesmerizing.\u201d\u00a0I agree. In addition to being comedic, the scenes between BQ and his grandmother, (the puppet,) are heartwarming.<\/p>\n Gerardo Navarro and No\u00e9 Cervantes. Photo by Areon Media.<\/p><\/div>\n So the action is that BQ is doing this live \u201cTV show\u201d from his living room and kitchen, aided by his unbelievably helpful older brother, DJ. That could<\/em> be a thankless part to play behind the incredible talents of Gerardo, but No\u00e9 Cervantes is wonderful in the supporting role. He\u2019s a very talented musician, DJ, and comedian himself, and always seems happy with whatever he\u2019s doing on stage, whether he\u2019s spinning beats, playing an instrument, or \u201cbaking\u201d as grandma\u2019s hands, (which you\u2019ll understand when you see this production.) So major kudos to him, as well.<\/p>\n So much is going on here\u2014comedy, pathos, singing, dancing, videos, all kinds of music including rapping, and my<\/em> fave\u2014puppetry! 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<\/em> has the most \u201cbusiness\u201d I’ve ever seen.\u00a0(For you non-show-biz folks, \u201cbusiness\u201d refers to the actions and activities that actors do on stage, such as pouring a drink, changing clothes, opening mail, etc.)<\/p>\n No\u00e9 Cervantes and Gerardo Navarro. Fly Me to the Sun<\/em> is the story of two brothers of Salvadoran descent, whose true<\/em> Salvadoran grandmother, (you can\u2019t live in LA without knowing the word \u201cabuela,\u201d) lives with their family in Chicago for a few of the boys\u2019 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<\/em> lived only two miles away!)<\/p>\n 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<\/em> of it\u2014the writing, directing, music, and acting. And it\u2019s all phenomenal.<\/p>\n I must give a special shout-out to the wonderful projections that are featured in the \u201cwindows\u201d at the back of the set. My very first note was that \u201cI like the clouds\u201d that are on the \u201csky\u201d out of them, but the visuals get even better in that area as the piece goes on. It\u2019s all very creative.<\/p>\n The set. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n 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<\/em> his abuela, I whispered to Marc, \u201cNorman Bates!\u201d When I told that to the actor at the end of the evening, (hoping he wouldn\u2019t mind,) he said that the cast and creatives themselves refer to that scene the same way! I loved that!<\/p>\n 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\u2019s eighty minutes, it\u2019s really one hundred and ten minutes! (The program is also incorrect in saying the \u201cTime\u201d is \u201c1990-1998.\u201d But one of the scenes on a TV screen on the set says that it\u2019s 1999! So the Fountain Theatre needs a little help in the math department, on both<\/em> fronts!)<\/p>\n Fly Me to the Sun<\/em> is for absolutely everyone<\/em>. 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\u2019s 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:\u00a0itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/karens-lessons-dont-give-ourselves-anything-to-regret-regarding-our-loved-ones<\/a>.)<\/p>\n And on another bit of seriousness that the show brought up, one of the lines in Fly Me to the Sun<\/em>, \u201cNot everyone can afford to dream,\u201d 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<\/em> afford to dream again!<\/p>\n Karen Salkin, Gerardo Navarro, Jr., and Marc Edwards after the show. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n 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<\/em> 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\u2014they are delish!\u00a0 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\u00a0No\u00e9 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\u2019t even talk because I started to choke-up from how wonderful his work is.<\/p>\n And here\u2019s some more good news\u2014there are some performances all in Spanish! (Their site below will explain it all.)<\/p>\n The Fountain Theatre Cafe. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n I end this review as I began it\u2014see Gerardo Navarro, Jr. now before he gets famous. (And remember\u2014I said the same thing about Adam Lambert before he was on American Idol<\/em>! So always heed my words!)<\/p>\n Fly Me to the Sun<\/em> running through October 12, 2025<\/strong> FLY ME TO THE SUN Everyone in SoCal has got to see Gerardo Navarro, Jr. in Fly Me to the Sun right now\u2014I predict that he\u2019ll be the next big thing in acting. (At least, if life is fair, he will be!) He\u2019s the true definition of \u201camazing!\u201d To show biz bigwigs I say: give<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>
Photo by Areon Media.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a>
\n The Fountain Theatre\u20285060 Fountain Ave., Los Angeles<\/strong>
\n 323-663\u20131525\u00a0 www.fountaintheatre.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"