The Zoot Suits have come to San Juan Bautista with nearly the
hype and fervor of the Los Angeles Zoot Suit riots of the
1940s.
The Zoot Suits have come to San Juan Bautista with nearly the hype and fervor of the Los Angeles Zoot Suit riots of the 1940s.
The slick suits with long overcoats, pants that balloon out and the felt hats – the Zoot Suit look – along with the slick Latino music and dancing is now being featured in “Zoot Suit,” playing at the El Teatro Campesino in San Juan Bautista.
The play that combines fashion and social action has returned to where it originally began. This time with a new generation of Zoot Suiters.
The sons of Luis Valdez – the playwright who wrote the play that became a Broadway hit and a movie in the 1970s – have revived the play, the largest ever for El Teatro Campesino.
“It was a gamble on our part to produce such a large show,” said Anahuac Valdez, who produced the revival. “We just had a feeling it was going to be a success, but by no means did we expect it to be as successful as it has been.”
The play is making waves with the community and beyond. Two weeks before the first show began, “Zoot Suit” was already sold out. With the strong response the theater decided to extend the play for another six weeks into January, which is now 50 percent sold out. People have come from the Bay Area and as far as New York to see the revival.
With half of the extension already sold out, the play could extend into the summer, but no decision has been made yet, Anahuac said.
The three brothers – Anahuac, Lakin and Kinan – are the producer, main character and director, respectively. In the movie version of “Zoot Suit,” Edward James Olmos played El Pachuco and in the new “Zoot Suit” play, his son, Bodie Olmos, is a member of the 38th Street gang.
“The next generation has taken the reins,” said Lakin Valdez, who plays Henry Reyna, the central character in the play. “It’s been wonderful. We’ve had a lot of success in last eight years.”
The three brothers are part of the core group of El Teatro Campesino, which is a small family unto itself that is internationally known and has toured throughout the world.
“It is a blessing for us to continue to do the work that our father started,” Anahuac said. “It’s actually surreal to be in these shoes and be able to have that opportunity to work with so many wonderful people. It’s not just our family, it’s the original core group of people from back in the ’70s who aren’t related but have been involved. Also, it’s a lot of artists who have come through the space and worked with us for the last 25 years.”
El Teatro Campesino is a place where the Latino stage arts can develop and thrive, Lakin said.
“The theater world is something onto itself,” he said, “especially for Latinos where opportunity is something that must be created, and hopefully this theater will be able to provide that for a lot of artists.”
Kinan created the current “Zoot Suit” from his father’s original idea, which didn’t have as much of the Broadway song and dance that was prevalent in the popular musical movie and the Broadway production. Although there is some impressive dancing and enjoyable Latino music from the era, Kinan focused more on the story of the Zoot Suit riots that erupted in East L.A. in the 1940s and the racial injustice that prevailed against the Latinos who wore the famous suits.
The play is based on actual events that occurred in Los Angeles during World War II. The racial profiling by the media and the police toward the flamboyantly dressed Latinos living in the area fueled an anti-sentiment that resulted in the arrest and conviction of 23 members of the 38th Street gang for a murder they apparently did not commit.
With frail evidence and a lame duck trial, Henry Renya – the leader of the gang and played by Lakin – is sent to jail with a life sentence. Renya performs well in the play by creating a convincing attitude of seething rage with a performance that alternates between tense silence and sudden outbursts.
His frustration at the injustices he faces is magnified by his mystical alter-ego El Pachuco, superbly played by Raul Sabino Cardona. El Pachuco is always in the background behind Renya, coolly representing the Zoot Suit identity fostered by the racial intolerance of the time, whose advice and influence on Renya help to create the troubles that ensue.
To portray Henry Renya, Lakin researched the “Zoot Suit” play and the riots and tensions of the era.
“The researching is really where it starts,” Anahuac said. “What you want to do is find and dig deep into the role that you play. It was an amazing experience to develop and create this role within the work we do here.”
The story, based on actual incidents that occurred in the 1940s where people who were the Zoot Suiters were targets of violence, is a good one. Throughout the play the antagonism between the Zoot Suit gangs, the police and media create a tension that keeps the play moving through the racial conflicts of the time.
The high energy dancing with Latino music of the era creates a lively break from the somber tones. With the small space available at El Teatro Campesino, the play comes off well.
With the themes of racial injustices, “Zoot Suit” is a play that is relevant to an American society confronted by the war on terror that is slowly eroding some peoples rights. A work such as “Zoot Suit” serves to entertain and remind, so the mistakes of the past may be reminders and lessons that can prevent similar events from occurring.
“As Americans I think it’s important to look at our past and go forth, to take out the skeletons from the closet and make sure this doesn’t continue today,” Anahuac said. “It’s very cathartic to take something like this dark piece of history and to put it on stage and experience it and release the demons through art. It’s important as a way of healing. … The theater is a great place to do that.”
