The ALT production, directed by Leigh-Ann Santillanes, has problems— some of which will be solved as the cast grows in confidence and some of which are more fundamental. Ana is a bright, capable Salvadoran woman looking for work as a nanny. Her carpenter husband Bobby labors sporadically, and her asthmatic, 6-year-old son Santiago loves to play soccer. An older son still lives in El Salvador, and Ana wants desperately to bring him to the U. S. Ana interviews with Wallace, a wealthy and obnoxious supporter of good causes, and then with Linda, the frazzled mother of twin-terror boys and new baby. Both women are put off, however, by Ana’s having her own child at home; Wallace hires Zoila while Linda hires Sandra. Nancy and her husband Richard are lawyers. Nancy yearns to return to work after the birth of her daughter, but she feels conflicted about leaving the baby with someone else. Ana tells Nancy that both her sons are in Central America, and she gets the job.

The play is often funny, but sadness is never far from the surface. Playwright Loomer envisions a stage set that quickly converts from Ana’s apartment to Nancy’s house, “allowing us to see overlapping and parallel worlds.” While this unusual set design usually includes moving stage elements, set and lighting designer Andrew McHarney has a single set which darkens between scenes (there are 12 in Act 1). Some in the audience applaud. The playwright warns that scene transitions should “be seamless or you lose the rhythm and momentum of the story.” And that is what has happened at ALT. Some of the actors are tentative in their timing and don'’t always know where their laugh-lines are. Fortunately, Michelle Patterson and Richard Boehler do well as Nancy and Richard, and Mimi Aledo is an affecting Ana who has precious little to laugh at. Imposing Steven Martinez conveys Bobby’s frustrations. Sandra Marroquin-Evans is strong as Sandra, but Taunya Crilly and Teresa Kizziah could do more with Wallace and Linda. Lydia Zazueta (Zoila) has the makings of a comedienne, but she is difficult to hear and understand, and she swallows some of her best lines (like describing tofu as “the white thing that looks like somebody ate it already”).

Living Out” is a thoughtful and poignant study that will hit close to home for many. “Living Out” by Lisa Loomer plays Fridays, Saturdays, and Thursday (Sept 13) at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through September 23 at Albuquerque Little Theatre, 224 San Pasquale SW. $22 general public, $20 seniors and $18 students. Call 242-4750 for ticket information

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