Baruch Porras Hernandez at a rehearsal for his upcoming solo show “Terrifying Immigrant Takes the Form of a Soft Chubby Bear” at Theatre Rhinoceros, directed by Richard Mosqueda. Photo by Vita Hewitt.
“This show is a Thundercat call to all the queer immigrant homos to come together and light things on fire through the power of theatrical queer performance art,” proclaims San Francisco based poet and comedian Baruch Porras Hernandez about his upcoming solo show. With the title “Terrifying Immigrant Takes the Form of a Soft Chubby Bear” or “Love in the Time of Piñatas PART DOS!”, it feels like a convincing claim. Directed by Richard Mosqueda and produced by Epic Theater Party, the show will play for one weekend only at Theatre Rhinoceros, October 16 to 18.
Porras Hernandez explains, “This show is more about Queer Immigrant Rage! It is a show where a Queer Immigrant demands a FULL refund for all the money he spent becoming a citizen” . When you watch my performances, they’re like if stand-up comedy got high with poetry and storytelling, then the three of them started making out and licking each other. A three-way of laughing, crying, and experiencing queer joy. Oh, and dick jokes,” he continues.
After seeing a few of his shows, I can say it’s exactly like that. Porras Hernandez has a way of jumping from medium to medium while keeping the energy high with his signature brand of comedy. His performances move easily between poetry, storytelling and stand up, with the kind of restless energy that keeps an audience wondering where he will go next.
Baruch Porras Hernandez, photo courtesy of the artist.
When I ask what he would like the audience to take away from the show, Porras Hernandez responds with, “I want people to take their clothes off and show me their candy, I mean, give me candy! No, wait, no candy! I want people to come and bring me money, baked goods, and weed. I want, what I want in all my shows to entertain an audience, make them laugh, make them cry, turn them on a little, and hopefully make people happy for about 75 minutes, with no intermission.”
That mix of irreverence and sincerity is central to Porras Hernandez’s work. Beneath the jokes and sexual humor is an artist interested in identity, immigration, queerness and the complicated emotions that come with becoming an American.
Along with his upcoming solo show, Porras Hernandez also has two collections forthcoming with Sibling Rivalry Press. His next poetry collection, currently titled White People Explain Dogs to Me, and a short story collection based on real life sexual escapades titled You, Me, and Everyone We Blow. You can also catch him at his next poetry show, presented by KQED during LitCrawl on October 24th at 8 PM at the Latin American Club, which is free to the public.
Whether it’s comedy, poetry, acting, or a combination of all three, this San Francisco gem, who once had a donut named after him at Dynamo Donuts in the Mission called “The Baruchador,” always brings something new to the table. Terrifying Immigrant Takes the Form of a Soft Chubby Bear promises an interesting and thoroughly comedic yet poignant take on the terrifying political times we live in.
For Porras Hernandez, theatrical performance is more than a place to tell jokes. It is a space for queer immigrant rage, joy, absurdity, and connection, all of which sounds like a performance worth catching.
“Terrifying Immigrant Takes the Form of a Soft Chubby Bear.” Oct. 16 to 18. $10 to $50. Theatre Rhinoceros, 4229 18th St., S.F. https://playground-sf.org
