The Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College closes its 2007-08 Season with ¡Sofrito!, a FamilyFum series event, performed by master storyteller David Gonzalez with Larry Harlow and the Latin Legends Band, May 18 at 2 p.m.
Embracing the bilingual culture of many New Yorkers, ¡Sofrito! is Gonzalez’s combination of humorous, physical, and, at times, silly storytelling accompanied by the music of Salsa and Mambo ensemble Larry Harlow and the Latin Legends Band.
Incorporating musica caliente and folklore from Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Bronx, ¡Sofrito! links the traditional and the contemporary in a mixture of theatre, Latin big-band concert, and dance party enjoyable to audience members of all ages and generations.
¡Sofrito!, which takes its name from the traditional mixture of spices and oil that gives Puerto Rican cuisine its distinctive and rich flavor, was created in conjunction with Larry Harlow and conceived as a tribute to Gonzalez’s abuela (or, grandmother), Lupe Echevarria. Recalling the delicious food, love, and rich flavor of his childhood, Gonzalez uses ¡Sofrito! as an entertaining tool to educate and entertain today’s youth about his cultural history and the Latin American experience in New York.
The show is at the Walt Whitman Theatre on the campus of Brooklyn College. Tickets $12; visit www.brooklyncenterlonline.org or call 718-951-4500.
