Bobby is a small 12-year-old kid from Long Island who has been constantly picked on in school. His hero is Bernardo, the tall, good-looking Puerto Rican in West Side Story, but though he studies dance, he can never hope to emulate his hero. But his life does take a major change when his mother takes him to Belmont Racetrack, hoping to win money to take care of expenses at home. It is there that Bobby discovers that very small men could make a living riding horses as jockeys. It becomes his obsession.
The play “Small,” a one-man show, written and starring Robert Montano, is a 90-minute memoir about his attempt as a teenager to become a jockey. Why would anyone be interested in such a story? It is because Montano is a seasoned dancer and actor and knows how to enact a story with many characters with both passion and humor. It is a joy just to watch him move about the stage, a paddock inside a stable.
He portrays his religious mother, his mentor, Robert Pineda, (a major rider of the day), and others so effectively that it is as if they are on the stage with him. But mostly, he portrays his younger self. He hangs around the stables. He gets a few rides. He sticks to his goal until the inevitable happens- he grows and gains weight.
Montano struggles at first with his passion for ice cream, but all food is his nemesis. Jockeys are not supposed to weigh over 105 lbs. He is constantly working out to lose weight. He doesn’t eat properly and takes the drug Lasix to rid himself of the weight of his body water before they weigh him.
The story is that of a struggle to realize a dream. He rides despite three broken ribs in one race. He prays for God’s help. There is so much that is packed into Montano’s story. But in the end, he comes to grips with his changing body and returns to his other passion, dance. He goes to college and continues to dance until he gets a small role in the Broadway show, “Cats.”
Montano is so talented and versatile, I was shocked to learn that he is 63 years old. I would never have guessed he was over 40. He’s no small man! It’s a wonderful, powerful, one-of-a kind show that shouldn’t be missed.
“Small” by Robert Montano at People’s Light, 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern, PA 19355, 610-644-3500, peopleslight.org Thru February 4, 2024
Philadelphia Theater Reviews by Frank Burd 