TAMU-CC’s latest play, “Electricidad,” is not for the faint of heart. It is a vulnerable look into a family, a series of crumbling facades, and repeating the cycle of abuse under the veneer of Los Angeles gang life. The nine-person cast provides a series of spirited performances that draws the viewer’s eyes as often as they approach the viewer directly.

The play, directed by Marco Munoz, is an adaptation of Sophocles’ “Electra” placed in 2000’s LA. The story revolves around the titular Electricidad looking to right the wrongs of her mother Clemencia’s murdering of her father, enlisting the help of her brother Orestes to do so. It was sponsored by a grant from the Lykeion Fund of the Stark Community Fund, aiming to provide modern reinterpretations of Greek theater.

Opening night fell on Sept. 30, and there was a small pre-show consisting of three actresses engaging with the audience as they entered the theater. Their act saw them sitting next to audience members, walking around the space, and loudly jeering at one another. This was a sign of things to come.

After an introduction, the play begins with the three women, called the Vecinas (Kaeya Garcia, Haley Sturgeon, Doris Amelia Agard) acting as a chorus and providing background to the story in a boisterous manner.

The Vecinas spoke with the liveliness of a human and they stalked the theater like a group of vultures. Their rhythmic shakes of beads and ever-present chants of “Apoco! No me digas! ai…” filled the space as they paraded through the tastefully dilapidated set.

The play properly opens on Electricidad (Chloe Paulson) grieving the death of her father, the head of a street gang, whose corpse she has personally interred in the front yard of the family house, a series of exposed wooden beams arranged in a house-like shape.

Paulson’s rage was palpable, with her every conversation of devolving into a shouting contest in which she always came out the winner. Her pseudo-chola mannerisms come through in unchecked aggression, a move which heightened the play’s intensity.

Soon, Electricidad’s abuela (Dalilah Velasquez) and sister, Ifigenia (Bella Carrillo), enter the picture. Velasquez provided some humor to cut through the rage, a very welcome addition this early on and Carrillo further humanized the setting, seeing the supposed “crime family” start to crack and falter.

All the while, Electricidad’s mother, Clemencia (Gabriella Lopez), sits inside watching television as the story unfolds in the yard. She makes an occasional exit and interaction, revealing herself as the father’s killer, though always seems to be met with the proverbial stone thrown her way forcing her back inside. It is heartbreaking, how Electricidad loudly bemoans her and actively wishes to kill her. Lopez’s tear-stricken performance brings extreme dread to the play.

Clemencia’s few moments in the early minutes of the play gave little insight into her, always acting as a victim to Electricidad’s unchecked anger. Soon we learned that she is a victim of far more, giving her backstory of abuse and rape on numerous occasions, a shocking declaration that Lopez handled very boldly, and Paulson’s rage-filled responses make for an uncomfortable scene.

Throughout the play, there are interspersed scenes of Electricidad’s brother, Orestes (Frank Villalvazo) training with a gang elder, Nino (Michael Mondejar) for an eventual return to LA.

Villalvazo’s command of heart-rending glee brings a dark cloud over the play, with curiosity over his fate befalling audiences as their scenes play out. His performance was captivating, though his character – much like Clemencia, a fellow victim of the vicious cycle of revenge across the whole family – proves to be incredibly tragic.

Mondejar’s soberingly realistic performance as a wise older figure adds a new dimension of genuine feeling into the play. Nino knows the hand life has dealt him, and he is willing to play it; he is willing to help Orestes learn to play the game as well.

Toward the play’s conclusion, as Orestes and Nino return to LA, the cycle of revenge begins to go around again. Now Electricidad acts as the aggressor, pushing the wide-eyed Orestes over the edge and into performing unthinkable actions.

The previous natural mood lighting soon turns stark and boldly colored as the family begins to implode in devastating ways. At performance, there was a very cold air in the theater as the play reached its climax.

By the end, the play had drawn some tears from the audience. Lopez’s uncomfortably genuine portrayal of grief and anger had drawn the crowd in for plenty of the play’s duration, and now Paulson’s depiction of unadulterated determination under the guise of “the chola way” had put a harrowing image in front of the crowd.

Watching the contrast between Villalvazo’s energetic introduction and traumatic conclusion was absolutely crushing. Mondejar’s shock and terror served as a strong indicator of what was soon to come.

Garcia, Sturgeon, and Agard’s performances injected the play with some much-needed boldness, a step away from the sheer tragedy unfolding on stage. A well-rounded production with an incredible cast, “Electricidad” is an electrifying play that is not afraid of being inescapably uncomfortable.

The play runs every day until Oct. 5. Tickets are $13.50 but decrease to $9 for the Oct. 5 performance. All performances start at 7:30 p.m., with the exception of the Oct. 5 performance, which starts at 2 p.m. Please visit the TAMU-CC Department of Theatre and Dance website for more information.