'A Park in Our House': Family ties that bind

What happens when the soul of an artist is eroded by the dreariness of forced labor?When the passion of a marriage is crushed by the weight of impoverishment?When the wide eyes of youth are dulled by the ineluctability of violence?"A Park in Our House," by Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Nilo Cruz, depicts the hardships -- material and emotional -- endured by a family living in 1970s Cuba. The talented cast of six delivers an impressive performance in a play rife with emotions and sensuality, as well as moments of vivacious humor.Cruz emigrated from Cuba to Florida with his family at age 10 and is the first Latino to win a Pulitzer Prize for drama with "Anna in the Tropics," which earned him the award in 2003."A Park in Our House," a collaboration between Victory Gardens Theater and Teatro Vista in Chicago, is as much about life in a communist society as it is about the universality of the human experience.Ofelina (Charin Alvarez) and Hilario (Gustavo Mellado) bicker and argue their way through marriage, lamenting the days when there was enough soap to wash more than one shirt a month.They are raising their nephews, Camilo (Bubba Weiler), the delicate boy whose premature suffering has made him silent, and Pilar (Marcela Mu#241;oz), the passionate young woman who harbors blind hope in politics and in love.Cousin Fifo (Joe Minoso) has an eye for photography but must "volunteer" to work in the sugar fields lest he be blacklisted by the regime.Frustrations abound and dreams merely flicker, but the arrival of Dimitri (Lance Baker), a soft-spoken botanist from Russia on an international exchange program, stirs the family to its core.To Pilar, he brings the awakening of the senses; to Ofelina, the rediscovery of herself and her island; to Hilario, a chance to reconnect with his wife; to Fifo, a push to be honest with himself.In the first act, Cruz introduces the characters and sets the stage for the emotional explosions of the second act, but the effect is somewhat disjointed and lackluster. When the curtain falls, one wonders where this is going -- if anywhere at all.But the second act is a true gem, with impressive acting by a cast that depicts, almost poetically, agony and rage. The rich reds and oranges of the set, designed by Samuel Ball, complement the stirring emotions and sexual undertones of the play.Everyone has been touched by Dimitri's arrival as family dynamics shift and rearrange themselves. Sweating profusely in the Cuban heat, the Russian dabs his neck with a handkerchief and proclaims: "A family here is not unlike a family back home."Indeed, it is."A Park in Our House"Three stars out of fourLocation: Victory Gardens Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., ChicagoTimes: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 5 and 8:30 p.m. Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays; through Dec. 9Running time: Two hours, with a 15-minute intermissionParking: Children's Memorial parking garage, 2316 N. Lincoln Ave.; $6 with ticket stubTickets: $20 to $45Box office: (773) 871-3000Rating: For adults, some sexual content