Rogelio Martinez’s “Elián” is revisiting that moment in time when the 5-year-old was at the center of an international custody battle. The fight was between Elián’s father in Cuba and his relatives in Miami. But in truth, at least as the play sees it: Castro knew a child could be a powerful propaganda tool.
If you lived in South Florida then, if you followed what happened after Elián’s rescue, you know that the boy who had just lost his mother became a high-stakes symbol, or a pawn, in an escalating tug-of-war. But 23 years after the painful battle played out, Miami New Drama is providing fresh insight into a saga that continues to sting.
Written by Tony-winning producer Jim Kierstead and starring South Floridians Ernesto Reyes ("Luz"; "Days of Our Lives") and Caleb Scott ("7 Deadly Sins"; "The Cubans"), the play "Borrowed" gets its first staging from June 23 to July 17 at House of Games in Miami Ironside.