By Luis Reyes
The award-winning, one-man play Latin History For Morons, written and performed by John Leguizamo and directed by Tony Taccone recently played at L.A.’s Ahmanson Theater and made history by becoming the highest-grossing solo play in at the historic theater.
Presented by the Center Theatre Group at the Ahmanson, the 40 performance engagement from September 5th through October 20th grossed nearly $3.7 million dollars in sales and was seen by over 55,000 patrons.
This also included a special student performance and post-show talk back on Oct 17th that was attended by more than 1,600 students and educators from 33 schools and community organizations serving youth in the greater Los Angeles area through a special student matinee program grant.
The record-breaking engagement saw audiences of all ages and ethnicities drawn to the actor with his funny and insightful take on the absence of Latin heroes in our educational system and society by extension, with a look at he problems of exclusion and differences in contemporary American society.
The Tony award-winning Leguizamo has a strong following built up over many years of versatile and memorable performances on stage, screen, and television. From the role as the transvestite “Chi Chi” in the classic cult film To Wong Foo opposite Patrick Swayze, to the unforgettable Telouse Lautrec in Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge or his Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet, to his cold-blooded killer opposite Al Pacino in Carlito’s Way Leguizamo is always impressive
Among his other notable film credit is his first lead role in a feature, Hangin with The Homeboys, and indie breakout film Empire. There is also crossover roles in films like Super Mario Bros, John Wick, and Spawn. Leguizamo pioneered the Latino variety sketch comedy with the short-lived Fox TV series House of Buggin which aired 10 episodes in 1995.
The multi-talented actor was recently nominated for an Emmy for his role as Raymond Santana Sr. in Netflix’s When They See Us mini-series about the falsely accused Central Park 5 youth directed by Ava DuVernay.
Leguizamo’s latest role as a firefighter in the comedy film Playing With Fire in which he stars opposite John Cena is set to open in movie theaters nationwide November 15.
Considered the most prolific modern Latino playwright on Broadway Leguizamo with six successful shows that also include Ghetto Klown, Spic- a –Rama, Sexaholix… A love story, Mambo Mouth and Freak. The 55-year-old Colombian born, New York City raised, Leguizamo has created his own history making career and has been recognized for it with a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award, a primetime Emmy Award, an Obie and a ALMA Award from Unidos (formerly National Council of La Raza).
Leguizamo began working on Latin History For Morons fresh off his celebrated and financially successful Broadway run of Ghetto Klown in 2011. The award-winning writer and performing artist began working on Latin History for Morons soon after and it had its world premiere at Berkeley Rep and then went on to New York’s Public Theatre followed by its celebrated Broadway run.
The critically acclaimed production of Latin History For Morons which launched its North American tour at the World famous Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York this past summer, then traveled to cities across North America including stops in Dallas, Durham, Hartford, Miami, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, San Antonio and Seattle among others.
Though the show was videotaped and presented on Netflix, nothing can compare to seeing and experiencing it live on stage. Leguizamo’s vibrant energy and presence in a now more fully focused and realized production that leaves room for improvisational interaction with the audience.
The tour continues through December and will play engagements in Austin, Boston, Brooklyn, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, El Paso, Nashville, Sarasota, and San Diego.
Hurry and get your tickets to see a true superstar and a national treasure come alive every night in Latin History For Morons when it comes to your city.
For more information on all tour stops, please visit www.LatinHistoryOnTour.com