Millennial Notes

Ashley Smiley Unravels the City’s Gentrification Nightmare

by Hamilton Nguyen

Playwright Ashley Smiley reveals her touching vision of what is happening to her beloved City, her neighborhood, and its people. “Dirty White Teslas Make Me Sad” tells a San Francisco story about people’s lives destroyed by rampant gentrification—in the Fillmore and  Hunter’s Point.

Tanya Orellana’s brilliant set features majestic, curved white plastic walls and bright fog lights, conjuring the Tesla, itself. The actors sit on stools made of fancy auto tires—as they are overwhelmed by outside forces taking over the City.

The show combines many arts—musical interludes, eruptions of dance, and over-the-top characters—a multi-faceted, poetic work. The primarily Black and Latin cast tackles the poetry with enthusiasm and inspiration.

In the formerly Black community, Techies are everywhere, driving expensive Teslas—the play’s symbol for all that’s wrong in the City. Naima (engaging Anna Marie Sharpe) cannot afford to replace her bipped windows—as she fades in the face of implacable economic torture.

Naima, a recent college grad, and her frustrated, overbearing mother (powerful Tanika Baptiste) are being evicted from their community with nowhere to land. Their stories paint a polarizing picture of wealth vs. poverty.  Suddenly, a loud voice blasts through the room. Naima cannot even decompress before Moms attacks her repeatedly.

As Moms, Baptiste erupts with thunderous interrogation and complaints about the damned unpacked boxes! Baptiste is a wonder, as their rapid-fire dialogue reveals the unbridgeable gap between them. Despite the breakneck pacing, I could catch most of their witty one-liners.

Struggling Naima replies that she is trying to make money by driving for Lyft. Naima cannot find a decent job and is slowly slipping away. She got her education, but now the so-called American Dream has left her adrift. We empathize with her depression, as she pops a few pills for escape.

Their friend, a struggling mechanic called Unc (savvy Juan Manuel Amador) resorts to crime to stay afloat. Sympathetic Unc runs a suspicious auto-shop; and he snares Naima in shady activities to pay the bills. Their story represents the lives of desperate workers who turn to crime for survival.

Naima meets her underworld supervisors: the calculating Caesar (Lauren Andrei Garcia) and boorish Brut (Jessica Maria Recinos). The duo are the brains and the brawn. The rest of the gang, KoldKutz (Guillermo Yiyo Ornelas) and Baby Gurl (Jamella Cross) add chaos and comedy with their chest thumping bravado.

Naima and company sell little white pills called “dirty white Teslas” to overworked techies. The pills provide escape from their hellish grinds. Naima is “popping ‘Dirty White Teslas’ while copping White Teslas.” The Teslas make a bizarre epic journey that thrills us.

“Dirty White Teslas” has plenty of clever ideas: flashy cars, rich techies, and a San Francisco car chase. And a tour inside one San Franciscan’s brain. With some more development, Smiley’s work could change both hearts and minds.

“Dirty White Teslas Make Me Sad” by Ashley Smiley, directed by Raelle Myrick Hodges, scenic design by Tanya Orellana, costume design by Afatasi the Artist, lighting design by Alejandro Acosta, props design by Leah Hammond, projection design by Joan Osato, at Magic Theatre, San Francisco. Info: magictheatre.org – to March 17, 2024.

Cast: Anna Marie Sharpe, Tanika Baptiste, Juan Manuel Amador, Lauren Andrei Garcia, Jessica Maria Recinos, Guillermo Yiyo Ornelas, and Jamella Cross.

Banner photo: Lauren Andrei Garcia, Jessica Maria Recinos, Guillermo Yiyo Ornelas, Jamella Cross. Photos: Jay Yamada