COSTALEGRE

Frankie Corzo narrates this moving story of a daughter's yearning and estrangement. In 1937, wealthy and capricious Leonora Calaway transports a cadre of reviled artists--"degenerates"--to a remote resort in Mexico to protect them from Hitler's persecution. Bearing witness to this unconventional lifestyle is Lara, Leonora's 15-year-old daughter, who chronicles life in Costalegre in her diary. Sharply observant and reflective, Lara's entries reveal her feelings of displacement and need for connection. While Corzo's light, high voice matches Lara's years, her clipped delivery undercuts the natural intimacy of diary entries, creating subtle conflicts between Lara's words and their performance. At times, the misalignment blunts Lara's inner turmoil, not to mention her humor. Happily, Corzo's efficiency doesn't overshadow the story's tenderness. A.S. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2019]