A Brief, Shallow and Not Very Grave Encounter

SANTA ANA — There is humor, conscious and unconscious, in Luis Olivos Jr.’s brief cabaret, “Dia de los Muertos,” at the Chicano Latino Collective Gallery. But that’s about all.

The emcee, Cantinflas (Olivos), stands before a microphone and sort of guides things along, with his cast strung out behind him in a line. They are celebrities of the past who, like Cantinflas, have returned to observe this special Latino holiday. They include Richie Valens (Beto Elizalde), Emiliano Zapata (Jorge Rodriguez), Selena (Norma Johnson), Perez Prado (Higgy Vasquez) and Lola Beltran (Lydia Olivos). Why Frankenstein (George Avila) is there is anyone’s guess, and it might come as a surprise to Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (Miriam Hernandez), that she is listed among the deceased.

Cantinflas introduces the characters, who then do nothing but stand and watch the others. Those who speak usually have only one or two lines, and a lot of the evening is taken up with recordings of the famous entertainers, without much attempt at lip-syncing. The closest thing to a performance is Flavio Rebollo’s turn as a sepulchral Padre Hidalgo and Dracula.

Lydia Olivos explains the holiday without delving too deeply into its meaning. Halloween, she says, is to scare people. Dia de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, celebrates the spirits of the dead returning to share the good things in life. These spirits spend a lot of time exclaiming over the good food on tables around the patio where the show takes place.

Most of the fun comes from spurts of humor and a general feeling of high times. When several of the female spirits announce that they will dance with audience members, Cantinflas says he will dance with a male viewer, admitting that he didn’t come out of the closet until after he was dead.

That’s in the script. Some of the fun is ad-libbed. During the curtain calls, Elvira removes her buxom padding, announcing, “They’re not real, and they’re killing me.” There are a few shots at local figures, including former U.S. Rep. Robert K. Dornan, but they don’t always hit their targets.

It all looks like something thrown together for a party, and that’s how it ends up, with everyone, including audience members, hugging everyone else with a rewarding sense of fellowship. But it’s not a show.

BE THERE

* “Dia de los Muertos,” Chicano Latino Collective Gallery, Santora Arts Complex, 205-6 N. Broadway, Santa Ana. Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 6, 9 p.m. (714) 568-0256. $5. Running time: 1 hour.