Review By Ashlei Havili Thomas, Front Row Reviewers
When the familiar tune of “Hedwig’s Theme” began to play at Plan-B Theatre’s 2025 Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival production, no one in the audience was expecting to be apparated (which means transported for you Muggles) to a Latin club in East LA. This premiere production of Juan Jose and the Deathly Vatos, however, was only getting started. This one-man-show written, directed, and starring Pedro Flores is 30 minutes of chaotic laughs, Potterhead fanfiction, and LA slang portmanteaus. From LA Chicano to charms class clown, Juan Jose is a half hour riot you don’t want to miss.
This isn’t the JKR version of the Harry Potter story, it’s the raw, maybe unedited version of how a junior expelled from his high school in East LA joins the fight against the “Deathly Vatos.” Juan Jose is scrappy machismo, the Mexican American wildcard Hogwarts never knew it needed. Through it all, Flores keeps the audience in stitches, hooked on his every word. Flores is a masterful storyteller. If you didn’t know better, you’d think he magicked you into listening, spellbound as it were. His costume was the perfect blend of wizarding world and LA strong, catching the audience’s attention from his first appearance. That, mixed with his expressive acting style, leaves the audience entranced, hungry for more. No one could hide their cackling when Juan Jose (Flores) accidentally restarts the club, playing Selena’s iconic hit “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom.” In all, Flores delivers an encore worthy play with enough heart and hilarity to fill a two-hour production instead of just 30 minutes.
While this play will be beyond satisfying for any self-respecting Potterhead, there are elements that would not be suitable for a young child (mainly language). That said, it is a raucous, once in a lifetime type of show that is just the brevity you may not know you need. From the references to the reimagined story, this new work from Plan-B Theatre and Pedro Flores is unlike anything this reviewer has ever seen. Truly, this performance is top tier local talent at its finest. Make sure to put Juan Jose and the Deathly Vatos in your lineup to see at this year’s Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival this weekend.
Plan-B Theatre and the Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival present Juan Jose and the Deathly Vatos by Pedro Flores.
Alliance Theatre Black Box at Trolley Square, 602 E 500 S Ste E101, Salt Lake City, Utah 84102
Tickets: $15
Box Office website Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival
Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival FB page
Plan-B Theatre event page
Plan-B Theatre FB page
Plan-B Instagram
Photo credit Sharah Meservy
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