Asheville Fringe Fest spotlight: ‘Mexican Scum’ is espectacular political satire

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — The 24th Asheville Fringe Arts Festival commences this week, bringing dozens of artists from all kinds of disciplines to town for a celebration of the weird, wonderful and out-of-the-box. Meet a few of the artists in our show spotlights.

Next up, “Mexican Scum,” a searing, multilingual satire of American politics by Edwin Salas, with music by Mike Andersen.

“Mexican Scum” was first performed at 9 p.m., Thursday, March 19 at the BeBe Theatre. It will next be performed at 7 p.m., Saturday, March 21 at the BeBe Theatre. Find tickets here.

Love and hate, el amor y el odio

The thorniest title in the Fringe Fest slate this year lives up to its promise. “Mexican Scum,” a one-man show by Edwin Salas, with stirring musical accompaniment by Mike Andersen, is a raw, ravishing look at the Mexican American immigrant experience.

Salas took to a spare stage to deliver his monologue. The black box was virtually empty, but for Andersen on keyboard to the right, a pristine, white toilet to the left and a projector screen at the back, which displayed images evocative or responsive to Salas’ dialogue. For instance, during a segment about the Ku Klux Klan, the screen displayed archival footage of hooded Klansmen dancing around a fire. At another moment, Salas furiously ran in place as an odometer ticked down the mileage between locations his character fled.

“Mexican Scum” is a tough watch, its tone often ferociously, justifiably angry. Salas, playing a man named Jesús, spoke to the audience about ICE, his inner conflict over the color of his skin and recent lives lost to the demons of prejudice. More than once, members of the audience broke down in tears. The effect of Jesús’ emotional anguish was extraordinary, even for monolingual viewers like myself; Salas performed much of “Mexican Scum” in Spanish, but little of its message was lost in translation.

Despite how brutal his show could be, Salas had expert control over its impact. He balanced pointed, direct commentary with small moments of blackly comic irony. After a heartrending first act, for example, Salas left the stage while Andersen led the room in a karaoke performance of “Sweet Caroline,” a mockingly American anthem. “Mexican Scum” is a reminder that the KKK, gun violence and class inequity are all part of the America “Sweet Caroline” celebrates at football games, rodeos and trivia nights nationwide.

I don’t want to misrepresent what this show is. Salas did not invite his audience into the room to crush their spirits into the ground. “Mexican Scum” brilliantly exposes the hatred endemic to our country, but Salas is working to combat it, too. The show is a rallying cry, not a death knell. In the final moments of his performance, the actor invited members of the audience to the stage. Standing in a circle with his patrons, Salas gestured for us to take hands. I will not spoil his words here, but they were an incredible, heartfelt deposition antithetical to every vile bastion of hate invoked in the show. I have never been part of anything quite like it. Salas has produced something very special.

For more information about “Mexican Scum” and Fringe Fest, visit tickets.ashevillefringe.org/events/mexican-scum.