Latin Standards — Part of Destinos 2024

As part of Destinos 2024 – 7th Chicago International Latino Theater Festival, Chicago’s annual, citywide festival showcasing local Latine theater artists and companies alongside top artists from the U.S. and Latin America running September 30-November 17, 2024,  I had the opportunity to attend the comedy show, Latin Standards. Presented in partnership with Center on Halsted, the Midwest’s most comprehensive community center dedicated to advancing community and securing the health and well-being of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) people of Chicagoland, this Chicago premiere performance was written and stars Marga Gomez.

I didn’t know what to expect, but Marga seamlessly pulled us into her world as she leads us through poignant moments from her young life during the performance. It revolves around her father, a cafe cubano aficionado and producer of a popular musical variety hour in 1960s New York, and her mother, also in entertainment, and a dancer who performed in his shows. All while we learn about Marga’s attempt to produce a hipster comedy night at a struggling Latino drag queen club during San Francisco’s gentrification crisis. She reflects on various songs or Latin standards, written by her late father, Willy Chevalier— songs filled with themes of jealousy and obsession, many of which she notes are about her parents’ relationship throughout the show.

Gomez is able to captivate the audience with her funny and heartwarming storytelling. Her anecdotes were able to resonate with audience at various points. For me, it was the horror of being made to wear a big, puffy and uncomfortable dress to special occasions.

Latin Standards is a must-see performance and if not one of Marga Gomez’s shows, I highly recommend catching one of many others during the Destinos festival. For tickets and more information, visit clata.org, or follow CLATA on social media at @latinotheater.

Marga Gomez was born in New York City to entertainers in the Latino community. Gomez is known for her work in solo performance and stand-up comedy and for being one of the first openly lesbian performers in the nation. She has appeared on LOGO’s One Night Stand Up, Showtime’s Latino Laugh Festival, Comedy Central’s Out There and HBO’s Comic Relief at the invitation of Robin Williams who called her “Amazing…a lesbian Lenny Bruce.” She is a regular at SF Comedy Day and has been featured at numerous comedy festivals including SF Sketchfest, Montreal’s Just For Laughs, South Beach Comedy Festival, Vancouver Comedy Festival and The Edinburgh Fringe Festival.  Accolades include the GLAAD Award for Off-Off-Broadway Theatre, 2022 United States Artists Fellowship for Theater, 2021 Center for Cultural Innovation Grant, Los Angeles Ovation Award for Best Featured Actress and multiple winner of the San Francisco Bay Guardian’s “Best Of The Bay Comedian.” She is also the writer/performer of 14 solo plays which have been presented Off-Broadway and internationally. She was a founding member of the Latino ensemble Culture Clash. Latin Standards is one of 22 productions during this year’s Destino’s festival.

Photos by Fabian Echevarria