It’s fair to say that the Pandemic changed all of our lives, and one of the odd things I find myself missing is the grocery store. For a large part of my life, the grocery store was where you could find the grand array of humanity, people from all walks of life coming together for the one true common ground: the search for nourishment. Writer Raul Garza must have felt the same way when he created My HEB, which follows three very different people and the role the famous Texas grocery chain plays in their lives. First coming to life as a Frontera Fest Best of Fest winner, Garza expanded it into a droll and deeply earnest new work, which is now being brought to life by the talented hands of Ken Webster and the crew at Hyde Park theater.
My HEB, for most of its runtime, takes the form of series of soliloquies, as a diverse group of individuals speak to their experiences with the grocery store chain, and the role it plays in each of their lifestyles. Its an intriguing peek into the many ways food intertwines into the heart of our experiences, whether it be as a tool for forming bonds; an expression of art; a way to get in touch with our heritage; a reminder of those we love, or even lost; or simply as a way of relating to our fellow man. The play makes you re-examine the way you think about something as simple as a grocery store, and the way such a small element of your daily life can impact the way you live. Garza’s work is subtle, but affecting, while never missing a chance to hit the funny bone.
As funny as My HEB is (and it’s often VERY funny), the most surprising element of the work is its heart. Utilizing the Texas grocery store chain as a magnifying glass, the play examines the microcosm of human experience, casting a glance on what it means to be a neighbor in the state. By focusing on the specificity of experience between three very diverse characters, Garza shows a multi-faceted look at what makes Texans tick, and how both the commonalities and differences join to create the grand experience. The play also contains one of the most touching moments I’ve had the honor of experiencing this year, a deeply empathetic explosion of grief and sorrow that should seem jarring in such a humorous piece, if it wasn’t for the authenticity that so saturates it.
Speaking of authenticity, that’s exactly what Janelle Buchanan brings to her performance as Loretta. Anyone who’s spent time in a small Texas town has surely met someone like Loretta, a big-hearted, if narrow-minded, wife and mother, a dyed-in-the-wool, born-and-raised Texan, set in her ways but always meaning well. She’s the kind of woman who believes in big Sunday dinners and family game night, and will never quite wrap her head around the nuances of today’s political correct society. She’s your neighbor, your aunt, maybe even your Mom, and she speaks to a certain spirit of Texas that’s delightful to find in the play, and Buchanan captures the character like she’s stepping into her favorite pair of slippers. She has not only some of the funniest moments in the play, but also the play’s most heartfelt, and when we finally find our trio of characters connecting by play’s end, the moments she creates with her fellow actors are undeniably touching.
Giselle De La Rosa enters the scene with a unique energy as Mandy, a latina who loves food more than anything. De La Rosa provides something refreshingly genuine in her performance, and the way she talks about food is enough to make your stomach grumble, creating a prism into the word of latinx societies, and the way her culture, and more specifically her culture’s food, effects the way she lives her life. De La Rosa tackles the role with pure heart, and its hard not to be touched by the earnestness with which she approaches the character.
The final piece of the puzzle is Kenah Benefield as Wilson, an HEB worker who gives us a peek into the rough internal work of the store, and the pleasures of pains of life of the floor. The balance of bright-eyed optimism and work-worn drudgery is a difficult needle to thread, but Benefield carries it well while maintaining a deadpan delivery that makes him the perfect straight man to the ridiculousness occurring around him. His charm is undeniable, making him a delight to watch throughout, even if he never quite reaches the emotional heights of the other two characters.
My HEB is a surprisingly heartfelt piece, both love letter and roast of the chain and the people who frequent it, but it’s above all a celebration of those rare spaces that bring Texans of all races, genders, sexualities, and experiences together to form one community. It’s a very Texas play, full of authentically local characters who could have walked right off the street and into the theater, and it’s always a delight to find a work that speaks so much to your home.
My HEB is playing at Hyde Park Theatre through June 22nd. For more information to purchase tickets, visit hydeparktheatre.org.
Photo courtesy of Hyde Park Theater
AUSTIN ARTS WATCH 