Inside Alanna Ubach's Head

Alanna Ubach wants to take a hold of your soul. She's eager to discover the intricacies that make you hate anchovies and love Jessica Alba movies. The boricua/mejicana actress is a self-proclaimed "people lover" and that's exactly what she showcases in her one-woman show Patriotic ***. Ubach portrays eight women with the show centering on Yolanda Rodriguez, a Mexican illegal immigrant who lost her sister to drugs. The petite performer talks to SiTV.com about the differences between L.A. and New York, pesky theatre critics and prejudice.

 

SiTV.com: How did you come up with the concept for Patriotic ***?
Alanna Ubach: What started off as a showcase ended up getting a storyline and then became what you see out here. It took about four, five years for it to finally become a storyline. I wanted all the characters to be connected in one way or the other.

SiTV.com: Your African-American character comes with a headshot. Do you know the woman in the photo?
AU: It's a random picture, dude. I found in a hairstyle magazine; if she sees that she's going to sue the s**t out of me. It's pretty funny.

SiTV.com: Has it been a challenge to get more ethnically diverse audiences?
AU: Not really. New York audiences are the biggest reason I decided to open out here because you guys are so hip. Most people, who go to theatre in New York, really know theatre. Or they have big imaginations or they really want to be entertained. Out here there is so much more multiculturism that people are immersed with on a daily basis. When you're on the subway, buying groceries, the people you see at the Greek diner so people are always surrounded by that. In L.A. you are immersed in multiculturism but you either have to live in a loft downtown and be walking around all the time or on the bus but who does that?

SiTV.com: What's been the biggest difference between the L.A. and New York crowds?
AU: When I tried to grass root it in L.A. it was a big mistake. In many ways, you're working it out as a showcase for your benefit but as far as people taking a look at it if you don't have blue hair and a bunch of hole in your face LA Weekly is going to give you a bad f**king review. I remember them saying, "Alanna Ubach is so cute. She can pretend she's Latin, she can moonwalk." I was like, "I'm out of here. F**k you."

SiTV.com: What's your overall message with Patriotic ***?
AU: It's basically that we're all the same-to the woman who's handing out the paper towels in the bathroom to a famous woman to her junkie daughter. Everyone is important and everyone makes the world what it is. How could prejudice even exist? Because if it wasn't for that person you wouldn't be who you are and vice versa. If we were all the same what a boring f**king world [it] would be.

Patriotic *** continues through June 29 at New York's Clurman Theater. For tickets go to ticketcentral.com.