Comedian, actor, and writer Peru Flores debuts his new show “Handle With Care” at The Modern Rep for two exclusive nights only: September 18th and 19th. The show is directed by The Modern Rep’s Artistic Director Grant Sorenson.
Flores and Sorenson joined us from The Modern Rep’s downtown Minneapolis theatre to discuss global superstardom, secret dreams, and the collaborative process behind a production they’ve publicized will, “unpack the downfalls of being perceived, the reality of dreaming big, and the beauty of just letting go (and f*****g a lot).”
Watch our conversation
Life’s Frustrations, Life’s Dreams
“The whole show has revolved around my just incessant need to sing,” Flores said. “I feel like out of all the talents that I’ve been given by the Lord, whoever that is to you, singing has not been one of them.”
He demurred on whether or not he will sing during the program, saying that the show is for those who have secret — and as of yet — unfulfilled dreams.
“If you’ve ever wanted to have a safe space to talk about your life frustrations, dreams you’ve had when you were younger that never came through, or dreams that you still secretly have but are too scared to share, my show is going to be the place,” Flores said. “People don’t like to talk about their dreams or secret things they wish they would’ve done, but I want to create a safe space for that.”
“Handle With Care” also considers the keys to pop stardom and fame. And what are they?
“You got to be delusional. You got to be slightly attractive, and then you got to have a good team around you who are willing to feed into your delusions,” Flores said. “[‘Handle With Care’ is] almost like me taking a step back and being like, okay, if everyone out there is literally becoming famous for God knows what, then there really is a fair shot for me to be able to be a global superstar. I think it’s pretty possible.”
He added, “and listen, this Incan nose goes a long way. I’m five seven. I’m what they call a short king. I’m a short Incan king hitting the Minneapolis scene and from Minneapolis to the world.”
Sliding into his DMs
Sorenson said their creative partnership started through “the magic of Instagram.”
“We started following each other and just became fans of each other’s work,” Sorenson explained. “Almost a year ago, we started to talk about doing something together. And then it just felt like ‘right place, right time.'”
Sorenson’s The Modern Rep bills itself as “a classics theater for today, reimagining the canon for a contemporary audience.” So this collaboration with Flores has been unique.
“What I’m really excited about with this project is to really be in the development process with Peru,” Sorenson said. “Between Friday and Saturday [performances] going, ‘okay, what really worked the first night and what do we want to maybe adjust going into the second night?’ And then once we’ve done this iteration of the show here, what do we want to keep working on and where do we want to bring it next?”
Flores enthused about debuting a show outside of New York City.
“I cannot be contained to the island of Manhattan,” he said. “I need to spread my wings.”
And The Modern Rep’s Theatre provides both a flexible and intimate venue that Sorenson said will be “stripped down to Peru and a microphone and the stories and the crowd work.”
And a vibe they will cultivate as the audiences arrive.
“We’re going to be serving some wine before the show and it’s going to be just a fun social event and performance,” Sorenson said.
A vibe Flores is familiar with from his shows at Joe’s Pub at New York’s Public Theater, a cabaret space that serves food and drink.
“You really can create anything in here,” Flores said. “People can bring in some wine, have some fun. We’re here to get stripped out. Literally.”
Comedy is Self-Care, Theatre is AI Proof
When asked about performing comedy in this timeline of queer people navigating MAGA and fascism, Flores said, “There’s a reason why the show is called ‘Handle With Care.’ Sometimes you treat yourself as a person so sensibly. I feel like everyone should still have the freedom to make fun of or find solace in comedy because comedy really is free therapy for a lot of us who are comedians.”
He continued, “In comedy, you have ownership of your own experiences. Whatever it is that you experience, if you want to deal with something through comedy, then by all means do it. Everything’s your life, your stories, whatever you have ownership on that you’ve experienced.”
As audiences will walk-in saturated in social media and ever encroaching AI technology, Sorenson observed, “I feel like the more AI becomes all around us, I think we actually start to recognize the things that feel really human and really authentic.”
Flores agreed, saying, “There’s going to be no AI doing a standup set in person, talking to you organically or doing a show or putting up a Broadway performance. So as long as we continue supporting the live arts, it’s the most important part of it all.”
Flores said already people are craving genuine conversation and connection.
“I went and got a coffee at my local coffee place in Brooklyn; and the people are on autopilot, just thinking you’re not going to have any formal conversation,” he said. “[But when I ask] them a question about their day or something funny that I saw outside, people, they’re like, ‘Oh.’ They go out of autopilot mode and start talking to you.”
It’s about authenticity Flores continued, “All it took was for me to engage with [them] like a real person, and then [they’re] completely out of the, ‘I’m just on autopilot.’ AI is here, sure, but human connections, it’s still there, still this day.”
Sorenson added that the theatre isn’t “AI proof” just because it is performed live.
“As people push away from AI created stuff, they run back to the things that are real and human,” he said.
“Handle With Care” runs for two nights only at The Modern Rep in downtown Minneapolis, September 18th and 19th. Get tickets at tablereadmpls.com. Flores is @heyperu on Instagram and his website is heyperu.com.
Flores’s podcast “Pioneers and Trailblazers” is available everywhere you get your podcasts. The Modern Rep’s upcoming production of “The Seagull” opens October 22nd. Tickets and more info at themodernrep.com.
