Simply put, Public Charge is not very good theater, but as a docudrama, it’s an important work that deserves to be seen. The story is true as told through the eyes of former diplomat and co-writer Julissa Reynoso who created the play with Michael J. Chepiga. In episodic fashion, it takes us through Reynoso’s (Zabryna Guevara) experiences from 1981 as a young girl in the Dominican Republic straight to her career in government where she rises to become US Ambassador to Uruguay in 2011.
Her expertise is Latin America and the play recounts the frustrations, disappointments and tedium of navigating the political landscape in foreign affairs. Measured as a work of theater it is also rather frustrating, disappointing and tedious, but as America struggles with its identity on the world stage, Public Charge provides us with a necessary lesson in the value of diplomacy; and attention must be paid.
During Reynoso’s time in public service, the play spans her years working in the State Department under Hillary Clinton in the Obama Administration. As Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Central American, Caribbean and Cuban Affairs she’s charged with helping to normalize relations with Cuba. But she’s quickly mired in bureaucratic policies that make any progress nearly impossible. And in 2010, her job became a lot harder when an American USAID sub-contractor named Alan Gross was arrested and imprisoned in Cuba as a spy. The play largely focuses on that episode in history as Reynoso is responsible for securing Gross’s freedom and communicating with his desperate wife.
Under Doug Hughes lean direction, the show’s pacing picks up speed after a very slow start, and Gross’s fate provides much needed suspense. Back and forth we see Reynoso and her no-nonsense supervisor Cheryl Mills (effectively played by Marinda Anderson) rack their brains trying to figure out how to gain Gross’s release. The Cuban government won’t budge without a reciprocal release of five Cubans held in a Miami prison.
The stalemate seems hopelessly locked. But hope does arrive when Reynoso becomes the Uruguayan ambassador and applies soft diplomacy with the Uruguayan President who happens to be friendly with the Castro government in Cuba. By 2014, President Obama announces a restoration of diplomatic ties with the island nation.
On the news, Reynoso optimistically crows: “We’re gonna be the most progressive, inclusive country in the world. You watch. This is the United States of America, baby. We’re THE model for the world.” Of course that’s all ancient history by now, and the good will between the two countries has since unraveled.
Seven actors take on 20 roles, and despite very solid performances, it’s not always easy to follow who’s who. The minimal staging on Arnulfo Maldonado’s platformed scenic design placing the audience on opposite sides of the stage doesn’t allow much room to distinguish the characters.
As Reynoso, Guevara nicely holds her own throughout the 100 minute intermissionless production. Through 34 scenes, staged statically, it’s a difficult role as she interacts with each of the characters – mostly on her feet – without the aid of any props or furniture.
Reynoso’s skeptical colleague Ricardo Zuniga is played by Dan Domingues with a curt demeanor that softens convincingly. He gets a laugh when he explains his cynical nature, saying: “I’ve just been spending too much time in Latin America dealing with crazy narcissist leaders. People actually vote for those fools.”
Special mention to Maggie Bofill, Armando Riesco and Al Rodrigo taking on three, four and five roles each with impressive ease.
Depending on your interest in current political events, you’ll either find Public Charge eminently worthwhile or a slog. So much has changed since the Obama years when Reynoso’s confidence in government was rewarded with an end to longstanding hostilities. She proved that old-fashioned person to person diplomacy can work; it’s as simple as learning to get along with our neighbors. Perhaps naive, but the play suggests: heed these lessons or ignore them at our own peril.
Public Charge opened March 25, 2026, at the Public Theater and runs through April 5. Tickets and information: publictheater.org
