In Joe Luis Cedillo’s sprawling family saga, multiple generations of a SoCal Latino family come to terms with economic hardship, racism, civil unrest and, most importantly, each other. The play is nominally about young painter Patricia (Elia Saldana), attempting to capture women’s crucial role in La Raza’s evolution through a series of paintings she’s mounting for an upcoming exhibition. This clever framing device ensures dreamlike dramatizations of Zapatista guerillas in Mexico; the youthful romance of her mother, Esperanza (Diahann Reyes); the backstory of Tia Victoria, better known as “La Loca” (Cristela Margarita Saravia); and the ghostly visits of Patricia’s “real” father, Anthony (Richard-Edward de Vere) — a poet killed in ‘Nam. As might be expected, Cedillo and co-director Raquel Sanchez Duarte’s work sizzles in contempo — rather than historical — mode, like when Patricia’s older sister, Sandra (Christina Franco in a marvelous chola routine), and her boyfriend, Chucho (Anthony Leyba), cruise their lowrider through the Valley (realistically rendered by Ernesto M. Sandoval’s background video footage) or when corporate sellout Alejandro (Ernesto Vera) brags about a tire-ad campaign using the theme of Speedy Gonzales. Deceptively ambitious, Cedillo aims for more than just an identity play; he’s obsessed with the importance of memory in shaping the present. Tia Chucha’s Cafe Cultural, 12737 Glenoaks Blvd., No. 22, Sylmar; Wed.-Sat., 7 p.m.; thru Oct. 18. (818) 445-5197. (Andrew Lentz)
   
 

For adventurous theatregoers and a committed community, enthusiasm and passion go a long way. As does the rough-edged, street-theatre spirit that surrounds Tia Chucha's Cafe in Sylmar, a terrific Latino cultural center in a mini-mall off the 118 Freeway, where this ambitious new work by Joe Luis Cedillo-Tia Chucha's first full-length play--premiered. But here's where the power of goodwill ends. However admirable the efforts of the talented Cedillo, his equally talented performers, and his dedicated partners, nearly three hours of passion, ambition, and rough edges is going too far.

There is a lot to be praised about 69 Portraits. The epic undertaking centers on young artist Patricia (Elia Saldana), commissioned to paint a mural in which she intends to create an epic visual history. Her mural will reflect not only the struggle of Latinos but also the struggles of the unfortunate women in her family in such a distinctive way that viewers will see in it their own family and the struggle of their own people. All of which speaks to the task Cedillo has set for himself. The play's creative framework attempts to encompass everything from Pancho Villa to cruising cholos. His theatrical style switches between poetic dreamscapes and telenovela dramatics, and absolutely nothing is left out in his storytelling. Where the play and the large ensemble cast come together is in moving sketches of San Fernando Valley Latino life. Where everything ultimately falls apart is in 69 Portraits' overreaching zeal.

--Jennie Webb