Broken Hearts: A B.H. Mystery (review)

Abstract

At their best, Cornerstone Theater's community-based projects combine provocative social commentary with imaginative playfulness. One of Cornerstone's first productions, a Wild West musical adaptation of Hamlet, presented in Marmarth, North Dakota in 1986, was prompted by the company's interest in engaging small towns in theatre-making and an urge to travel to the state the East Coast-based company knew least about. Following a move to Los Angeles in 1992, Cornerstone's mission evolved to embrace bridge-building within and between communities. In Los Angeles, these "Bridge Shows" have included collaborations among citizens of Pacoima, a senior center, and Arab Americans citywide; an adaptation of Candide (Candude) performed in the city library, featuring police officers, library workers, and postal employees; and The Central Ave. Chalk Circle, bridging fragmented communities in the city of Watts. Cornerstone's most recent performance, "B.H. Residency," brought together participants from Boyle Heights, Baldwin Hills, Broadway and Hill streets, and Beverly Hills. The resultant bridge production, Lisa Loomer's original play, Broken Hearts: A B.H. Mystery, exemplifies Cornerstone's social and artistic mission, while standing on its own as an imaginative journey through seventy years of Los Angeles history and four ethnically distinct resident communities.