From LA TIMES
“In director Efrain Schunior’s adept hands, “Trafficking” uses stylized naturalism to keep dated aspects at bay, inventive without fussiness. Set designer Marika Stephens gets optimal mileage from her triad of metal frameworks, assisted by Sohail e. Najafi’s surreal lighting, Emarie Kohlmoos’ realistic wardrobe and Michael Cooper’s marvelous sound plot. All three actors are wonderful. Camacho’s halting technique and emotional focus works like gangbusters for world-weary Papo. Twardokus inhabits repressed Brian to enervated perfection, while Trichon leavens childlike brio with an affecting stillness as Bobby. Their mutual investment drives “Trafficking in Broken Hearts.” In doing so, they cannot help but break ours.” – David C. Nichols

From LA Weekly

GO!!! “TRAFFICKING IN BROKEN HEARTS There’s something hauntingly familiar about Edwin Sanchez’ lowlife romance, and I don’t mean its pre-Giuliani, 42nd Street locale, so palpably invoked by Sanchez and director Efrain Schunior’s blistering stage poetry. The block’s sordid miasma of peepshows, seedy hotel rooms, gay movie houses and Port Authority men’s rooms — cleverly represented in designer Marika Stephens’ triptych of skeletal, neon-trimmed, box scaffolds — comprises the track where Puerto Rican street veteran Papo (a soulful Ramon Camacho) hustles the tricks of his rough trade. It’s also where he falls for Brian (Stephen Twardokus), a chronically repressed attorney and 26-year-old virgin so tangled in the apron strings of a domineering mother that he can’t consummate a hooker-john liaison much less engage in an openly gay relationship. In the meantime, Papo will have to settle for the runaway, Bobby (Elijah Trichon), a 16-year-old package of dangerously damaged goods who only wants to make Papo a good wife. The arrangement quickly develops into a volatile mix of vulnerability, unrequited desire and wounded pride just waiting for the inevitable spark. Of course, Papo is no hard-bitten Ratso Rizzo; he’s descended from an even more ancient line of Hollywood hokum, the proverbial hooker with a heart of gold. Credit Schunior’s skillful sleight-of-hand, and riveting performances by Camacho and Twardokus, for selling such a shamelessly adolescent fantasy, which may be the greatest hustle of the show.” – Bill Raden

From LA Theatre Review

“The cast members are all talented and physically fit the part. Ramon Camacho is terrific as Papo, although his tender side was more believable than his rough, rugged persona. And if he’s not Puerto Rican, he could easily pass. Stephen Twardokus portrays the internal struggles of Brian, who, from an early age, has chosen to closet himself as a way of coping with the self-reproach he internalized from his family and society. And Elijah Trichon really embodies the naivete and neediness of Bobby, the extent of which is a tragic testament to the trauma of his childhood. Efrain Shunior directs and makes some innovative choices. For example, the play never actually starts. As the audience walks in, the performers are already on stage, separately going about their day-to-day lives. ” – Joel Elkins

From Backstage West

“Sensitively directed and beautifully acted.” – Neal Weaver

FromOrange County Blade
“Great ingredients are required to make a great dish, and much of the excellence of Trafficking in Broken Hearts, currently playing at Weho’s Celebration Theatre, comes from three terrific actors – Ramon Camacho, Stephen Twardokus and Elijah Trichon. They are skillfully mixed into a delicious, savory concoction by director Efrain Schunior. The tale of a jaded Puerto Rican hustler, a terrified Midwestern lawyer and a needy 17-year-old runaway was first presented in 1989, but the story is every bit as relevant 20 years later as it was when first written.” -Stan Jenson

from StageSceneLA

WOW!
TRAFFICKING IN BROKEN HEARTS
Efrain Schunior makes an auspicious Celebration mainstage directorial debut here, proving himself an actor’s director and a stunningly visual one as well. Schunior’s thrilling direction, the raw and riveting performances of Ramon Camacho, Stephen Twardokus, and Elijah Trichon, and a sensational design team combine to make this an electric, emotionally gripping evening of theater. Trafficking takes you in its grasp and holds you there, riveted, from Papo’s “Hey, you wanna see a movie?” to its shattering climax. More than simply being about sex, Edwin Sanchez’s play is about the need for human connection, both physical and emotional. Though many will come to see it for the sexual content and nudity, all will exit the theater with much more than that. Trust me. Papo, Brian, and Bobby will stay with you long after the performance has ended.

From Blogcritics

“The performances, by Ramon Camacho as the hustler, Elijah Trichon as “Baby,” and Stephen Twardokus as Brian, are all spot-on. The direction by Efrain Schunior is taut and compelling. The set, a series of scaffolds that serve as a restaurant, an apartment, a peep show, and a bedroom, is brilliantly executed.” – Robert Machray