“Mother of Exiles,” developed in The Ground Floor: Berkeley Rep’s Center for the Creation and Development of New Work, is illustrative of what can go right and wrong with a brand-new play. There is a lot of promise in Jessica Huang’s playwriting. Still, even Berkeley Rep’s artistic director acknowledged that changes were made to the drama up to the day before the opening.
This one-act play tells the story of one family’s immigration to and life in the U.S. from 1898 to 2063. During the 165 years, we follow several generations, whose love of family is ruptured by immigration struggles. And it’s a heart-wrenching picture.
Eddie Loi (Michele Selene Ang) is the first in her family to touch America’s shore. Unfortunately, she’s awaiting deportation on Angel Island, in accordance with the then-restrictive anti-immigration laws affecting Chinese women. Eddie is pregnant, and a “God-fearing” white woman wants to take the baby to an orphanage. But Eddie remains strong and finds a way to protect her infant with the help of a kind and generous Angel Island worker.
Eddie and her family are helped by ancestors who appear on a railing above and to the rear of the stage. But they must be called upon through the assistance of a plum tree, the seeds of which are passed down through the generations.
In the next scene, it’s suddenly 1998, and Eddie’s grandson, Braulio Loi (Ricardo Vázquez), is on the other side of the immigration battle. Having just joined the border patrol in Miami, he’s an odd man out with his absurd and asinine co-workers. But Braulio has a chance to make an honorable decision concerning an immigrant woman and her child, who are in positions similar to his grandmother’s.
When we next see the descendants, it’s 2063. We meet parents, their grown daughter, and her infant. A climate catastrophe of undescribed origin has occurred, and Miami and the Caribbean area are underwater. The family is on a sailboat, in dire straits, with insufficient water and no evident ability to reach land. And then a gigantic, strange ship appears out of nowhere (off-stage). They will save the child, but not the rest of the family. This third heart-wrenching decision is one of the show’s dramatic highlights.
Directed by Jaki Bradley, “Mother of Exiles” kept my interest throughout its 90 minutes, but many disjointed concepts surround its central theme of immigration cruelty. It’s hard to get to know the characters’ depth and understand anything beyond their basic instincts to protect their children. The ghosts didn’t add much to the production. Also, and unusual for Berkeley Rep, some technical challenges interfered with the production. The sound of the ghosts’ echoes was off, the videoed ghosts were hard to see, and at times, the acting was stiff.
The United States’ immigration policy is a vital topic. And Jessica Huang has added to this subject with relevance and understanding. No matter when your ancestors came here, “Mother of Exiles” will touch your heart.
By Emily S. Mendel
© Emily S. Mendel 2025 All Rights Reserved emilymendel@gmail.com
