Law & Disorder Breaks Out At Bregamos

For Elizardi Castro, doing hard time as a Puerto Rican attorney in America may not have been nearly as challenging as being the only lawyer in a large, Puerto Rican family. 

From getting calls for legal advice from family while in law school to living up to his stern father’s expectations, the comedian revealed all in his recent sold-out show Law and Disorder at Bregamos Community Theater:

The air was thick with anticipation as show producer Mike Oquendo finished his warm-up, introducing Castro with Sonora Carruseles’s ​“Micaela.” Castro’s first animated steps onto the stage finished into a spirited salsa dance — a sample of his facility with expressive movement and a hallmark of his comedic genius. A slashing gesture brought the music and the dance to an abrupt stop: ​“That’s not this kind of show” he jokingly told the audience after his gyrating tease.

Castro’s shows are, in fact, crafted to be family-friendly; no raunch and no profanity, as if ​“my grandmother is sitting in the audience” he told the audience during a post-show Q and A. His reason for becoming a comedian? ​“I felt that there was a need to be on stage and tell our stories, not just our culture’s and our family’s, but in Spanglish … and clean. That meant something to me because no one was doing it, I felt I had to step in and fill that void.”

During a pre-show interview, Castro said that his biggest influences in comedy were not other comedians, but family members. ​“My uncle was an amazing story teller” he said. Public figures, like Hispanic comedian John Leguizamo, showed him there was a market for Latin comics.

The mash-up of English with Spanish or Spanglish, is used throughout Castro’s shows. There are occasional colloquial Spanish phrases that connect with the largely Spanish-speaking audiences, but are also contextually understood by the general audience. His demonstrations of everyday words like ​“sangano” (a dolt) or ​“cocotaso” (a sharp rap of the knuckles to the crown of the head) elicit knowing laughter. Facial gestures, physical shtick, and the real-life experiences that he draws from, combine for a resonant, universal appeal. Those of a particular age, for instance, may strongly relate to his stories about parental justice meted out with a belt long before people cared about ​“witnesses.” His bit about his father’s lighting-fast dexterity with a belt and the subsequent PTSD when shopping for a belt in adulthood is hilarious, despite our modern sensibilities about corporal punishment.

Watching Castro slip so convincingly into a range of characters, it is difficult to believe that he is a working attorney with degrees in psychology and communications, or to believe that he is anything but a full-time comedian. With shows like I’m no Romeo, Solo!, Made in Puerto Rico, Jibaro Soy, ​“Capicú!” and new shows that he writes every year, there are plenty of opportunities to watch him make his case for laughs for a long time to come.

But the former prosecutor-turned-defense lawyer continues to practice law too: he says it ​“pays the bills.” The lengthy slate of upcoming shows from his home base in New York to Chicago and Florida, as well as numerous TV and campus appearances, may portend a shift to full immersion in show business. The comedian was not joking when discussing his goals in bringing his show to Broadway someday, or even starring in his own television sitcom.

Castro publicly expressed gratitude to Bregamos’ Founder and Director Rafael Ramos for introducing him to Connecticut and northeast audiences five years ago with a series of shows at Bregamos and later at Long Wharf Theater, and in venues in Hartford and Springfield. Ramos first encountered the up-and-coming comedian when visiting his sister in Chicago. He went to see Castro on a recommendation and the two, having mutual interests in promoting the arts, culture and education, became fast friends.

Castro returns to Bregamos Community Theater for two shows on August 9. For more information about upcoming shows and programs at Bregamos, visit the website.