SUNDANCE SPOTLIGHT

The 2026 Sundance Film Festival will shine a long-overdue national spotlight on one of the most influential cultural architects in American history: Luis Valdez. With the world premiere of American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez, Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB) cements Valdez’s towering legacy as a revolutionary artist who transformed theater, film, and the visibility of the Mexican-American experience—while also affirming the vital role of public broadcasting in preserving Latino cultural memory.

Directed, written, and produced by David Alvarado, American Pachuco is far more than a biographical documentary. It is a cultural reckoning—charting how Valdez reshaped the American stage and screen by insisting that Chicano stories were not peripheral, but central to the national narrative.

From the Fields to the Forefront of American Theater

Valdez’s story is inseparable from the Chicano Movement itself. In 1965, alongside the United Farm Workers, he founded El Teatro Campesino, a theater company born not in traditional playhouses but in the fields—using satire, music, and performance as tools of protest, education, and empowerment for farmworkers demanding dignity and justice.

That radical foundation led to one of the most consequential theatrical moments in U.S. history. Zoot Suit originated at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, where it became an undeniable hit, electrifying audiences with its bold fusion of American Latino music, movement, history, and political urgency. The production was so successful that it made history—transferring to Broadway in 1979, marking the first time a Chicano playwright’s work appeared on the Great White Way.

In a rare and telling testament to its cultural impact, Zoot Suit didn’t simply move east. While one company made its groundbreaking Broadway run, a second cast remained in Los Angeles, where the show continued at the Aquarius Theatre, running for nearly a full year. The dual productions underscored something unprecedented: Chicano theater was no longer a niche movement—it was a mainstream cultural force commanding audiences on both coasts.

Edward James Olmos: A Full-Circle Cultural Moment

Central to Zoot Suit’s legacy—and to American Pachuco—is Edward James Olmos, whose star-making role as El Pachuco was written by Valdez and became one of the most iconic performances in American theater. The role launched Olmos’s career and redefined the possibilities for Latino actors at a time when such opportunities were nearly nonexistent.

Decades later, Olmos narrates American Pachuco not only as a collaborator and witness, but as co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Latino Public Broadcasting, the organization that partially funded the documentary. The symmetry is profound: a playwright who opened doors for an actor, and an actor who now ensures those doors remain open for future generations of Latino storytellers.

“Now more than ever, it’s crucial that we give a voice to our Latino filmmakers and make sure that our stories are heard,” Olmos said. “While these two films are very different, both of them celebrate how art can lift individuals and communities and bring about real transformative change.”

A Definitive Portrait of a Cultural Revolutionary

Winner of the Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film, American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez features extensive interviews with Valdez, offering rare insight into his artistic philosophy, political consciousness, and lifelong commitment to cultural truth-telling. The film positions Valdez not only as a playwright and filmmaker, but as a cultural architect whose influence reshaped the American artistic landscape.

The documentary is a co-production of Insignia Films, ITVS, Latino Public Broadcasting, and Firelight Media, in association with American Masters Pictures and PBS, with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It will premiere nationally in Fall 2026 as a co-presentation of VOCES and AMERICAN MASTERS, placing Valdez among the most essential artists ever profiled in the series.

LPB at Sundance: Expanding the Latino Story

Latino stories are foundational to American culture, not footnotes. And at the center of that truth stands Luis Valdez—a visionary who proved that telling our own stories is an act of resistance, celebration, and transformation.With American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez, Sundance 2026 does more than honor a filmmaker. It honors a movement—and a legacy that continues to shape every Latino story told on stage and screen today.

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Nicholas Matos is currently appearing alongside some of Broadway’s hottest names in one of the season’s biggest shows: SMASH — based on the TV show of the same name. Eight times a week, the young Mr. Matos portrays the offbeat character of Scott, a twenty-something, social media-head caught up in a zany musical comedy about putting on a musical comedy. An unlikely outcome for young Mr. Matos who not long ago was preparing for a career in science. We got this very busy actor to speak on his artistic trajectory, how biology is like acting and why aspiring actors should not wait until they feel they are “ready.”     

CRIS FRANCO:  First off, Nick, congratulations on your great success in SMASH. The show is terrific as is your very original characterization of the show’s newbie production assistant named Scott — how would you describe him?

NICHOLAS MATOS:  Clueless — at first. Scott’s an observer. But he constantly wants to learn more because he’s thrust into this world of hard-boiled Broadway veterans. And my character doesn’t know the basics about musicals. He doesn’t even know who Julie Andrews is, so —  

CRIS: He’s the ultimate Gen-Z-er. 

NICHOLAS: Right. In every scene, there’s something new happening around him, so Scott is constantly looking for how he can contribute to the conversation.

CRIS: Your Scott character is truly original and hilarious. He often delivers the “button” or the “blow” out of the scene — the zingers that move the plot on to the next story beat. Scott is also pivotal because his last minute insights provide the play’s climax. When it seems everyone’s efforts were for naught, once clueless Scott sings his epiphany as he puts it all together for us. 

NICHOLAS: Yes, his trajectory is so much fun to play with. My final number is the show’s only original song — all others debuted on the series SMASH. My song, titled “Broadway’s Calling You,” was written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman — two composers that I’ve looked up to for years. So, just getting to sing it alone on stage is crazy. Our director (five-time Tony Award-winner) Susan Stroman and I frequently discussed my song’s function during rehearsals. She directed me to not start at one-hundred percent.  To keep the excitement growing and growing. So, I start it light and airy — and keep building from there. 

CRIS: And in one fell swoop, your song delivers the show’s message.  

NICHOLAS: Yes, so as the story evolved there were a lot of rewrites. The version I now perform is my character realizing that on Broadway, like in life, you keep moving forward even if you fail. So we worked a lot on my building the song’s intensity, because as the show’s climax, we have to get to a moment where the set literally explodes behind me into the big finale. 

CRIS: Well, you really got us there the night I saw the show. SMASH’s finale is jaw-dropping. But let’s talk about how you got here. You’re very young but already have some pretty strong performance credits. How did you get started? 

NICHOLAS:  I did my first theater when I was 12-years-old, in my school’s production of Hairspray.  Which is funny, because I’m now working with the composers of Hairspray. And my director told me about this program in the city called iTheatrics.  They develop the junior musicals like Hairspray Junior, and they try them out with kids over the summer.  I auditioned, got into that program and that really started everything. I began meeting people in the city from NTI (National Theater Institute). When I got to high school, I did Godspell in concert at the 54 Below cabaret night club. I was singing the role of Jesus — 

CRIS:  I checked it out online. You sing “God Save the People“.  

NICHOLAS: Yeah, that’s the one. I was about 15 at the time. And through that concert, I met my manager who introduced me to some agents, and then right after getting an agent, I booked the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. And that was like the first things that made me realize that maybe I could actually do this as like an actual job, or an actual career instead of just something that’s fun to do.

CRIS: Radio City is enormous!  What’s it like singing for 5900 people? 

CRIS: Tell me about how many Radio City shows do you do on some of the heavy days? Don’t you do sometimes do five shows?  

NICHOLAS: Yes, the Christmas Spectacular have some five-show days. But because I was under 18, we weren’t allowed to do that many. The most I could do in a day was three.

CRIS: How old were you then?

NICHOLAS:  I was 15. 

CRIS:  What is your background?   

NICHOLAS: I’m like 100% Dominican. Both of my parents are Dominican. 

CRIS: What was your childhood like growing up 100% Dominican?  

NICHOLAS: I grew up right outside the city in Secaucus, New Jersey. All of my extended family, my grandparents, my cousins, all live in Washington Heights in the Bronx. So I’d go to my grandparents’ house every other Sunday for dinner. I’m thinking of moving there probably soon. But I grew up in New Jersey, that’s my home home. I have two brothers. I live with both of my parents and nobody in my family has ever done theater. So this is a big surprise. When I first started, my parents would always say that they had no idea that I could do this. But honestly, neither did I. It kind of came out of nowhere.

CRIS: So your parents are not performers? 

NICHOLAS: No, my dad is a lawyer.  And my mom works for a telecommunications company — they’re business people. 

CRIS: Do they understand what how special it is to do what you do? 

NICHOLAS: I think they’re understanding more and more. They support me no matter what, but when I first started, they did not get it at all. They didn’t know anything about Broadway or musical theater, or what it took to get here. I really drove that process and I had to show them the ropes. But they’ve learned stuff throughout all the years and they kind of get it now.

CRIS: Which means you’ve really managed your career by yourself.  Wow. You realize you must have beat out thousands of actors for your role.  Because the part of Scott could have been played by a male or female of any ethnicity.  So, I’m sure the casting agents considered submissions by thousands of possible actors.   

NICHOLAS: Yeah, I think so. 

CRIS: Congratulations.

NICK: Thank you, thank you so much.

CRIS:  Being a show within a show, SMASH is about so many things.  How would you describe the plot?

NICHOLAS: SMASH is about the making of a musical.  The tagline is that it’s “a comedy about a musical,” and that’s really exactly what it is. It’s about this team of Broadway veteran creatives who are trying to make a huge hit musical “comedy” about Marilyn Monroe. 

CRIS: Which is already pretty outrageous, because Marilyn Monroe had a tragic life. 

NICHOLAS: Correct.  And throughout the process, things go wrong — and there’s so much drama and shenanigans.  Act One ends on a totally ridiculous, over-the-top, hilarious moment.   

CRIS: Yes, Act One does end on a doozy of a cliff hanger. It’s brilliant plot twist, because my party spent intermission each theorizing on how we thought the plot would resolve. It was fun — but let’s not give away the ending.  

NICHOLAS: No. Let’s just say that by play’s end, the show turns out to be a love letter to Broadway and creatives in any field.  The song that I sing honors the creative process  —  what it means to struggle and labor and care for a project. And although we all strive for success — that’s not the long term goal. The goal is to keep going and creating the next thing.  Which is an idea that really must speak to all people because our audiences are loving the message.  

CRIS:  And it was pleasant surprise when the character we least expect — yours — suddenly gets the message and so do we!  

NICHOLAS:  That’s what I love about playing Scott.  He represents the new blood and new generation of theater lovers coming in.  The veterans have all had their chances — Scott represents the next generation of theater creatives who are going to bring in the new ideas.  It’s how new work is created. 

CRIS: Yes, he’s being handed the baton.  And in doing so, it ends the story with so many fun possibilities. Your cast is full of top Broadway talent, including one of this year’s Tony nominees for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical, Brooks Ashmanskas.    

NICHOLAS: He plays our director, Nigel. Brooks is such a talent. He blows my mind every time. 

CRIS: Just like his character in SMASH, Brooks is a true Broadway veteran. He’s appeared in well over a dozen Broadway shows. What’s it like working with a comedic genius like Brooks? 

NICHOLAS: He blows my mind every time. And I’ve learned something very important from him: to remain flexible.  

CRIS: Like don’t be afraid to vary your performance? 

NICHOLAS: Yes. Of course it’s the same script. But Brooks never does quite the same performance twice.  His choices are rooted in the same intentions and emotions, but how he plays Nigel is completely dependent on that night’s audience and how a line has been delivered to him. 

CRIS: That takes courage. 

NICHOLAS: Plus he (Brooks) always fully commits. To get to work so up-close with such a great actor is so cool. He just always goes for it. 

CRIS: What’s been the most surprising thing about this experience?  

NICHOLAS:  Well, during rehearsals there were so many rewrites and trying-out new things. One day I literally opened my mouth to start rehearsing my song when Mark Shaman threw new lyrics in front of my face. The piano kept playing so I grabbed the lyric sheet and just went with it. You have to be super on your toes and ready for whatever the creative team or your cast-mates throw at you. Also, since I’ve never done eight shows a week, I had to learn how to pace myself throughout the week, prepare for each performance and still try and have a life. 

CRIS: I’ve done eight shows a week and audiences have no idea how demanding that is of your time, your health, your energy —  

NICHOLAS: True. But even so, our director, Susan Stroman, wisely told us to never let the show’s energy slow down. Once this show starts, you’re on the ride, and you better hold on because you can’t let the ball drop. The timing has to be perfect. You have to jump on each other’s lines and constantly be pushing the energy.

CRIS:  SMASH has so many fast moving parts: scenery, costumes, lights, fast changes — not to mention the classic Broadway, Tony-nominated choreography by Joshua Bergasse. Have there been any technical snafus? 

NICHOLAS: Technical?  No. Thank goodness.  But, there have been times when Brooks will do something crazy and it’s genuinely impossible not to break — it’s so hard not to. But you have to somehow stay in character.

CRIS: Brooks broke me up almost every second he was on stage. And it takes years to develop and hone that type of hyper, but believable, comic persona. Among our readership are many aspiring young film and stage actors.  What advice do you have for those who want to make it to Broadway? 

NICHOLAS: You know, I’ve actually been thinking about this a lot because my friends studying theater in regular 4-year BFA or BA programs have been asking me how to get to Broadway.  So many of them think that you have to wait until you graduate to start auditioning and looking for agents and really going for it. But I truly believe that you don’t need anyone’s permission.  You won’t know if you’re ready until you do it.  And the best way to learn is on the job. So just start now. 

CRIS:  That is a powerful message. And it’s true, you won’t know if you’re ready to go professional until you do. 

NICHOLAS: I’ve had a really unconventional education. I was at Fordham University studying biology for two years before I transferred to the theater department.  After one semester of acting and movement I booked SMASH.  

CRIS: Which, in a way supports my theory that what’s so cool about acting is that it’s a profession to which you can bring your whole self — including your outside interests.  Some actors who are only interested in acting sometimes miss the point: you can’t bring any reality to your performance if you’re not living a real life, you know?

NICHOLAS:   I know that I still like studying biology and the mind — and math and science. They’re all still a part of me. And, honestly, I think my love for biology and my love for theater come from the same place.  And it’s my desire to understand what makes people the way they are. They’re totally different approaches to exploring that question, but that’s why I love neuroscience. But I also love inhabiting characters and figuring them out. Yeah, I like trying to figure out what makes people tick.

To see what make Nicholas Matos tick, see him in SMASH: https://smashbroadway.com

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Why are so many of the neuro-diverse community drawn to the arts? Perhaps it’s because their unique interaction with the world can often lead them to thinking “outside the box.”  Celebrating the truism that “everyone is beautiful in their own way,” the EPIC Players Theatre, New York’s Premiere Neurodiverse Theater Company, presents A Neuro-inclusive 90’s Cabaret || Featuring *Special Broadway Guests! on November 12, 2024 at 8:30pm (Doors at 7pm) at Catalina Bar & Grill, 6725 W. Sunset Blvd., LA. Tickets are $35 / $55 (exclusive of service fee) with a dinner or 2 drink minimum, per person. 

Get ready to relive the “fly” 90s in style with EPIC Players’ Neuro-inclusive 90s Cabaret! Join them for a night of “fat and funky” hits and performances that will be “all that and a bag of chips” as this ensemble of neurodivergent artists share the stage with special Broadway guests. This one-of-a-kind cabaret blends  nostalgia with empowerment, showcasing the exciting talents of our inclusive theater company. Don’t miss out on a night of music and retro-fun all done to the “way cool” tunes of the 1990s!  (You remember the 90s: collecting Beanie-Babies, wearing fanny-packs, playing Hungry Hungry Hippos, consulting your mood ring and listening to Britney!  Britney!  Britney!)  

The EPIC Players Cast that will “hit you, baby, one more time” includes: Garrett Lees, Red Rosenberg, Devin Morrissey (Love on the Spectrum), Verity Van Dams, Harry Schantz, Amanda Castrillo, Ana Sharp, Rebecca Faith Quinn, Dovia Charles, Bowe Avery, Nayeli Benitez, Alexandra Tamplin, George Steeves, Michelle Jace, Jacki Jing, Bella Zoe Martinez, Abbey Romeo (Love on the Spectrum), Jack Lea and Lex Levy. 

All tickets can be purchased online HERE

With “fresh” musical direction by Casey Comstock-Mills assisted by Donovan Woods this “hella wicked” production is made possible in part with the support of The Hoffman Charitable Trust – and that’s a trust you can trust. “Well, duh! “ 

So put on your “bling” and see this sure-to-be unforgettable event, as one fan raved, “I have such positive experiences at the EPIC shows that it is hard for me to put into words how much I love them! First, everything is done on a top-notch level. The enthusiasm of the actors is inspiring. They deliver their performances with such dedication!. . . . I think EPIC is very unique and I appreciate that it gives free classes and opportunities to the neuro-diverse community and not only brings awareness, but a truly enjoyable experience. I used to look forward to my favorite director’s films, but now I look forward to EPIC Players.” 

EPIC Players (Empower, Perform, Include, Create), founded on August 25, 2016, is a nonprofit, neuro-diverse theatre company dedicated to creating professional performing arts opportunities and supportive social communities in the arts for Neurodivergent and Disabled artists. Via inclusive mainstage productions, musical cabarets, original showcases, skills-based classes and career resources, we hope to increase critical employment opportunities, pioneer increased inclusion in the arts, and break down social stigmas surrounding neuro-diverse communities.

Beyond a “rad” night of talented performers, EPIC’s  A Neuro-inclusive 90’s Cabaret will shine a spotlight on our unifying love of music – especially those tasty tunes of the 90s that were “da bomb!”  

For more information, visit https://www.epicplayersnyc.org

Good Morning America visits EPIC players: CLICK HERE

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Newyorican playwright, Kristoffer Diaz was chosen by musical legend Alicia Keys to pen the book to her long awaited semi-autobiographical musical Hell’s Kitchen. For over ten years, the two collaborated on perfecting the story, that since its Broadway opening in April of 2024, has been playing to sold-out houses.  Earning thirteen Tony Award nominations – including one for Mr. Diaz – the success of Hell’s Kitchen is due in great part to his skillful shaping of Keys’ musical catalogue into a dramatic tale of how an artist is forged by pain, courage, talent and love. 

We caught up with the talented Mr. Diaz to discuss the agony and ecstasy of creating a new book to a musical, what it’s like collaborating with a superstar, and why creatives have to find their unique voice. 

Cris Franco (CF):  Hi, Kristoffer!  Congratulations on the success of Hell’s Kitchen. You did a seemless job of sculpting Ms. Keys’ music into a powerful story. The play flows beautifully. Can you tell me about how your beginnings led to you becoming a playwright?

Kristoffer Diaz (KD): I grew up in Yonkers, which is just outside of New York City.

CF: Yes, I know. I’ve seen Hello, Dolly! 

KD: (Laughing) It’s a little different than it was back in the Hello, Dolly! days. 

CF: I’m glad to hear that. There were no people of color there back then.

KD: True. Yonkers now has a huge Black and Latino population. I grew up on the north side. But my family’s from all over New York City. My mom’s from the Bronx. My dad’s from Brooklyn and Manhattan. We’re Puerto Rican but I identify as a Newyorican.  

CF: Newyorican is a very specific ethnicity. 

KD: Absolutely. My parents were both born in New York.  My grandfather and his generation immigrated when he was 15-years-old. So, we’ve been in New York forever.  My mom worked in the city and grew up a theater fan. She took me to see Broadway as a kid, so I’ve always had theater in my life.  But theater as a career wasn’t on my radar until I got to high school. I had always been an athlete — a baseball player more than anything. Then, one day, I auditioned for the school show and I got in.  Then I got into another show. And there I found my community. And I continued doing theater in college.  Then I discovered John Leguizamo who was telling stories about people like me.  And everything changed from there.  I went to NYU and began writing.

CF: When did you write your signature satire The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity?  Which is a comment on racism, politics and machismo — all set the raucous world of lucha libre. I caught the Los Angeles run at the Geffen Theater and knew that a fearless and inventive mind had conceived it. It was explosively entertaining. More than a play, it was an event.  

KD: We had a really great time with it.  One of our original actors in Chicago and New York, Christian Litke, really made a meal of interacting with the spectators. He would pick-up audience members and curl them.  Joan Rivers came to see it in New York and he had her stand and rub her hands all over his body.  The audience loved it – and she loved it! 

CF: Chad Deity has had lots of productions and won you many awards including The National Latino Playwriting Award (2008), The Obie Award (2011), NY Times Outstanding Playwriting Award (2011) and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama nomination (2010).  But how did a play about wrestling lead you to Alicia Keys? 

KD: Not long after that L. A. production I got an email from my agent stating that he was going to set up a meeting for me with Alicia Keys. Which was a fun email to get. 

CF:  And you had never met her before?

KD:  No. When you have a property playing that’s in the public eye, you get a lot of emails about a meeting with this person or that person. But getting a message like this one – I was like, yes!  This is fantastic. I’d been listening to her music for years.  We met and Alicia said that she had an idea for a musical based somewhat on her life. She did have some specific ideas and wanted to meet with writers. I was close to her age and we shared a lot of the same reference points and sensibilities. We talked about classical music, hip-hop, New York City and we just hit it off. I got hired and we spent a few years just the two of us trying to develop something.  We brought in a director Michael Greif and presented it to the Public Theater.  

CF:  I know that the story is semi-autobiographical. But how different is the musical’s plot from Alicia’s actual history? 

KD: There are many departures from her real life because you don’t want to be stuck in facts.  Alicia and I like to say that the show is emotionally true — the songs and story are drawn from her life. Plus, creatively, you need to have some distance because not all the songs are sung by “Ali” (the character based on Alicia) some are sung by the characters portraying her mom or her dad. So, I got permission early on from Alicia to write with broad strokes to maximize our dramatic potential. 

CF: I know that Ms. Keys wrote original songs. How did you approach her with the idea that a certain moment needed new material?

KD: It was an ongoing process between our team: Alicia, Michael Greif, our musical director Adam Blackstone and myself.  We all knew that new music would be required and Alicia was ready to write it. But that was after we thoroughly studied her existing music library – trying to figure out what story we could craft from it. 

We knew we wanted to incorporate Empire State of Mind, Girl on Fire, Fallen and You Don’t Know My Name because these are some of her most beloved pop songs.  But not all of Alicia’s best known compositions told a story – specifically the story we were developing.  So, we listened to some of her lesser-known work and Michael and I really liked Work on It and Pawn It All.  There was something about them that we felt could support a narrative. Now Pawn It All is one of the show’s most exciting numbers. Shoshana Bean (who plays Ali’s mother) sings it and she tears down the house down every single night. 

CF: She definitely killed it the night I saw the show. 

KD: There were a few spots where we needed a song to express an emotion or moment that wasn’t in Alicia’s songbook. We’d chat about it and in a few cases Alicia was already working on something that could possibly work. So, she’d bring it in and we’d work it into the story.  But, in some cases, after we’d tried a few songs, we’d realize that Alicia was just going to have to create something new to handle a specific storytelling moment. That’s how the song 17 sung by Shoshana Bean came to be.  It’s the first real theater songs that Alicia has ever written and it’s great.  

CF: Sounds like an exciting process.  How did the musical change over the time?  Meaning what you started out with versus what is being seen on Broadway?

KD: Great question. You know, we started out, not really sure what we were going to do.  We thought it would be a love story, because musicals often revolve around love. And much of Alicia’s catalogue are, in a way, love songs.  But early on Alicia knew that it was more about a moment of change and growth in her life.  We realized that it was a coming-of-age story. And when we brought in Michael and showed him what we’d written, his analysis was this it was, indeed, a love story – but between a mother and daughter.  How a daughter grew to appreciate all the hard work that her domineering mom had done on her behalf. And that was the big change from the early drafts to the final version.  So, we pulled back the love story and created a messy love story between the mom and the dad. 

What we didn’t suspect was how powerful the character of Miss Liza Jane (Ali’s teacher) would become. But once Kecia Lewis was cast in the role, she made the teacher’s character so powerful that all the relationships began falling into place.  Plus, once Miss Liza complicated Ali’s relationship with her mother, everything became deeper and stronger.

CF: Bravo!  That was a brave choice to not fall into the musical boy-meets-girl trope and taking Ali’s character arc into a more challenging, more real, meaningful place. I really enjoyed the journey. Both Maleah Joi Moon (Ali) and Kecia Lewis (Miss Liza Jane)  won the Tony Awards for Lead Actress and Featured Actress in a Musical respectively.  And I think a lot of it has to do with the how authentically you wrote their characters. From the second she walked on-stage, I was enthralled with Ms. Moon.  She is quite a discovery. 

KD: Yeah. She’s pretty magical and it’s a hard, complicated role.  I mean where are you going to find someone that young who can evoke all that is Alicia Keys – but still also be completely herself. Maleah does that.  She was a gift to us.

CF: And how has it been working so closely with an artist as recognized as Alicia Keys?  

KD: She’s my sister now.  We’re super close. When we started this project, Alicia was pregnant and I think me and my wife had just had our first son. Today we both have two kids. So, we’ve both went through a lot together while we were developing the show. 

Alicia is a musical genius. She was a child prodigy and she just continues to learn and grow. She’s an incredible businesswoman and she’s good people, I just like being around her. She was a wonderful collaborator.  And I never felt any power dynamics. We were both out to remain true to our art and ourselves. I feel honored to have been part of her career and to have made this thing together with her.

CF: Your show is selling out on Broadway, so I think your “thing” is going to be around for a long time.  I know you’re currently a playwrighting teacher at NYU (New York University), right? 

KD: Yeah, NYC is where I did both my undergrad and my first Master’s Degree. So, I’m back where I first came of age creatively. I’ve been teaching since I left grad school. First at an after school program and then at El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice in South Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  It’s a school with a real interest in social activism through the arts – which is deeply connected to my sense of social responsibility to community.  That is such a big part of what we want to communicate in Hell’s Kitchen.  That we have to reach to our younger generations, get them to listen to their ancestors, to understand their history. Art is a gift and I take it really seriously. 

CF: As a successful writer and arts educator, what advice would you give to a young aspiring playwright?

KD: Oh man.  It’s a hard business. I’ll say that it’s about understanding the art form – and more importantly —  putting a finger on the thing that you do that nobody else can do. When I started writing, I thought that I had to write plays that looked and felt like what I had been taught in school. Those plays where the characters sit on a couch, drinking wine revealing  family secrets.  Then I saw John Leguizamo’s work and he was just putting real folks on stage talking about everyday stuff.  And I thought, hey, I could write about what interested me like hip-hop or wrestling.

CF: I’m into lucha libre, too: the good guys, the bag guys, the rivalries – it’s all so melodramatic. It’s like a telenovela for men.  One last question. Do you feel that being a latino has impacted your career?

KD: Absolutely. How could it not?  In my early days, I felt it would hold me back.  I don’t speak Spanish and my work is not bilingual so I was always concerned that my work wouldn’t be, um, Latino enough. But the Latino theater community have been very, very, very, very, very, very, very good to me over the last 25 years. And not just producing my plays. Many great artists have reached out to me – offered me guidance, recommended me for jobs.  John Leguizamo was the first person to contact me on the morning of my Tony Award nomination (Best Book of a Musical for Hell’s Kitchen). He texted me that he was proud of me. I also know Lin Manuel Miranda and it’s more than just because we share the same ethnicity, it’s about being part of a theatrical family. Being Latino is my cultural identity and I couldn’t be happier about being part of that community. 

To experience the exciting and heartfelt dialogue of Kristoffer Diaz dramatically framing the thrilling musical compositions of Alicia Keys, log onto: https://hellskitchen.com

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Giving a shout out to all the nominated productions this year, thirty-six in totaly, DeBose expressed the importance of live theater and that this evening belonged to all the nominees. And among the nominees, there were seven Latine who were either nominated for their work on stage and behind the state as well. 

Lindsay Mendez, who never saw herself as a lead in a Stephen Sondheim musical while growing up in Norwalk, California, was not only the lead in Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along, but she received her second Tony Award nomination for her performance.  Her first Tony nomination and win was in 2018 for Carousel! 

“Like almost everything I’ve done, I didn’t see it, so I couldn’t have imagined it”, The Mexican American actress was raised in Norwalk, California and came to Broadway to pursue her dreams. “There just weren’t many people who looked like me doing this, other from Chita Rivera. And… they were essentially put in a Latino box. Therefore, it is a privilege for me to be able to play these kinds of characters”.

Noting that leaders in the theatrical business declared measures to make the profession more inclusive following the epidemic and the Black Lives Matter movement. Mendez said she has observed a change in this regard. “We’re still having this conversation, of course, but I think there’s a lot more awareness and effort to share other people’s stories and diversify a company and crew”.  She adds, 

“Even though there is a long way to go, I feel at least more attention has been raised and there are more initiatives, more efforts, to get more [diverse] voices out there,” she said.

Broadway is still predominately a white industry, despite the prominence of Latino performers like Rivera, DeBose, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and John Leguizamo. According to the Broadway League, the bulk of the audience is white, and Latinos make up only 3.5% of Actors Equity’s active membership, which represents theater artists.

Nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical  for Lempicka, Eden Espinosa, considers this nomination “one of those things that you hope for – dream about.

Being of Mexican American descent, Espinosa frequently works with youth and students, being open and honest with them about the realities of life in the theater industry. She recounts, “I tell them it’s okay if you get more no’s than yes’es; it doesn’t mean you’re not talented or successful.” Everybody has a unique set of gifts that help them stand out from the crowd and make them unique.”

Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer also was up for a Tony Award in the same category as Mendez, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical, for her work in Spamalot, Monty Python.

Renowned designer Emilio Sosa was nominated this year for Best Costume Design of a Play (Purlie Victorious), and David Israel Reynoso was nominated for Best Costume Design of a Musical (Water for Elephants). 

Kristoffer Diaz’s nomination was for Best Book of a Musical for his semi-autobiographical musical Hell’s Kitchen, written by Alicia Keys.

Although Diaz was raised in the Bronx, his mother frequently took him to the theater in Manhattan. He claimed that watching Leguizamo’s Spic-O-Rama in 1994 was a turning point. 

Diaz declared, “It altered my life.” It was the first time I had seen people on stage who resembled my family in appearance and voice, when Leguizamo played a variety of roles, all of them members of a Latino family.

“It allowed me to realize that, hey, I can put my people and myself on stage too,” Diaz remarked. “And that’s when it really took off what I wanted to do with my life.”

New York University associate arts professor Diaz is appreciative of the Latino artists who helped his generation thrive. Diaz would frequently approach a lobby picture of Raul Julia during Hell’s Kitchen performances at New York’s Public Theater downtown and, “just place my hand on the poster and sort of thank him.” Diaz recounts, “He was one of the spirits in our room, and he assisted me in identifying with the Nuyorican artistic legacy.”

Scenic designer Ricardo Hernández, Picked up his third Tony nomination.  This year he was nominated foBest Scenic of a Musical for Lempicka.  He also created the scenic design for the musical Suffs on Broadway. Born in Cuba and raised in Argentina, Hernández claimed that he was the “lonely Latin” in his family for a long time.

Horacio Quiroga of Uruguay, Ernesto Sábato of Argentina, and the late Jorge Luis Borges are among the writers who influenced Hernández’s aesthetic sensibility.
Hernández urges his Yale University pupils to discover their own voices while warning them that “the theater is tough.” Giving his students this advice: , “Don’t be someone else’s copy. If you’re scared to speak up for yourself, don’t try to be like other people. Continue on your journey of self-discovery while putting out your best creative and professional effort.”

Although all the nominees listed here did not take the award home, Mendez expressed her feelings and excitement on just being nominated for the Tony Awards, “This has been such a huge season, and I’ve been thrilled to be a part of it.” Noting that “I’m really proud of my work, win or lose,” she remarked. “I’m just proud of making it to the Tonys; it’s been a long, amazing run.”

There is a lot to be proud of when you are nominated for your work on Broadway, the ultimate stage in theater actress the country.  It is true getting nominated among all the actors and creatives on Broadway is already a win. 

Mendez claims that her 2018 Tony Award was stored on a shelf in her house near to her daughter’s medal for completing a two-year-old sports class. She laughed and replied, “In my house, all the trophies go together.” “I am aware that the Tony Award exists, but I don’t often look at it. Additionally, I always let people hold it if they come over and want to see it

The post From Sondheim to ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ Latinos On Broadway Shine at the Tony awards! first appeared on .

The story which spawned the film of the same name starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams has enjoyed cult status since its 2004 release.  The romantic drama chronicles the decades-long love affair between lower-class mill worker Noah Calhoun and heiress Allie Hamilton.  They are star-crossed soul mates whom, it appears, the universe has conspired to keep apart. But distance makes their hearts grow fonder and – of course — true love conquers all!  This well-worn trope of boy-meets girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-gets-girl should render The Notebook predictable, melodramatic and, dare I say it?! Sappy. It is anything but.  

For the play’s energizing score (music and lyrics, Ingrid Michaelson) and fresh dialogue (Tony-nominated book writer Bekah Brunstetter) breathes life into each scene of this passionate evening of musical theater. To further draw us into the play, the lovers are played by three couples: Older Allie & Noah, Middle Allie & Noah and Younger Allie & Noah. This triple casting allows us to track the many stages of life as seen through the lens of their love. We realize that although the years may age our bodies, it is our enduring affection for each other that transcends time and keeps us forever young.  

The story engages your heart from the outset when we meet Older Noah (played to perfection by Tony nominated Dorian Harewood) who is at a nursing home visiting Older Allie (the radiant, Tony nominated Mariann Plunkett) whose severe dementia has caused her to forget him. He’s there to read to her the notebook (diary) she wrote documenting their lives together in hopes it will trigger a memory that will help her recognize Noah. 

As the story cuts back and forth from their young romance and break-up, to their tumultuous estrangement, to their ultimate reunion, the cast masterfully contribute each of their individual pieces that ultimately come together to form a vibrant collage of their lives. We see the many highs and lows that will try to topple their devotion, but instead, forge their love and lead them to emerge all the stronger for it.  Songs are woven in and out of the story taking us into their deepest emotions, doubts and ultimately fulfilled wishes when Older Allie finally recognizes Older Noah – if only long enough for a final kiss.  The musical’s unabashed romance and sheer emotional honesty result in The Notebook being an astounding journey into the human heart that, frankly, left me sobbing with joy.   

John Cardoza (whose credits include Jagged Little Pill and Moulin Rouge!) plays Young Noah with a youthful exuberance and vulnerability that believably sets his character on the long road to finding true love. It is Young Noah that believes in the couple’s viability and Cardoza delivers his relentless pursuit of Allie with full throated abandon – his is a crystalline singing voice that lets you know you’re in the presence of an up-and-coming Broadway leading man. 

Equally engaging as Middle Noah is Ryan Vasquez (whose credits include Hamilton, Waitress and In the Heights). The dashing Vasquez plays Noah during his most conflicted stage.  With a commanding presence and gorgeous lyrical baritone that can cause the listener to experience what I call an “eargasm,” Vasquez’s Middle Noah remains certain that Allie is his destiny. But life has other plans, and he’s destroyed when he loses contact with her for years. He’s joined the armed forces but fulfills his promise to her of writing her every day. But his letters are intercepted and kept secret by her mother who planned on her daughter wedding the more auspicious suiter Lon, played by the elegant Chase del Rey.

Chase del Rey (whose credits include A Little Night Music and the Oscar nominated film King Richard) subtly plays the confident groom-to-be who is ready to commit to Allie, unaware that she has rekindled her romance with Noah.  His is a painful realization which will leave him standing at the altar wondering if he’ll ever recover from so devastating a heartbreak. Though Mr. del Rey’s character Lon is a secondary character, he makes an impression every second he’s on stage and leaves us with a full understanding of the price paid by those who lose at love. Chase also demonstrates his astounding vocal prowess at show’s end when the entire cast so gloriously wraps up the evening’s life-affirming saga.

As I stated at the top of this article, it was thrilling to see three talented young performers so vividly bring their gifts together to weave the tapestry of life and love titled The Notebook, the musical. It’s extraordinary to watch multiple actors share a role and witness how each helps their character evolve before our eyes. 

Never having read the novel nor seen the very popular film, I did not know what to expect from The Notebook. I assumed it would be a gushy chick-flick musical, so sugary it would send me into diabetic shock. On the contrary I emerged from the Shoenfeld Theater feeling rejuvenated; my belief in life affirmed by truth and renewed by this tale of love. 

To experience The Notebook, CLICK HERE

Broadway Production Photos by Julieta Cervantes

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After the COVID pandemic shuttered theaters nationally for almost two years, Broadway has come roaring back providing fans a bumper crop of entertainment. There are currently 31 shows running! With so many productions from which to choose, I thought I’d narrow down the field with my following short list of new Broadway Shows to see in 2023:

&Juliet (Best Jukebox Musical)

Building on the novel premise that asks: What if Juliet (of the Bard’s Romeo and Juliet) had not killed herself at the play’s end? The answer is &Juliet, the season’s best new jukebox musical. 

Nominated for nine 2023 Tony Awards, book writer David West Read has devised a clever coming-of-age journey in which our heroine enters a 14th-century pop fantasia where she’ll encounter romance, betrayal, self-doubt, gender bias, gay and straight love, and – against Shakespeare’s wishes – God forbid, a happy ending?!  

Starring the very gifted, Tony-nominated Lorna Courtney in the title character, the story about new beginnings is set to the mega-hits of Swedish songwriter Max Martin.  &Juliet bounces as the energetic cast belts out and hip-hops to I Want It That Way, Baby One More Time, Oops! I Did It Again, I Kissed A Girl, It’s My Life, Can’t Stop the Feeling, Since U Been Gone, Roar, Larger Than Life, and more. Juliet’s fast-moving story about life after Romeo rocks to some 30 hits recorded by The Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Katie Perry, Justin Timberlake, and more pop icons.

This dazzling production features the impressive talents of many Latinx performers including Phillippe Arroyo, Brandon Antonio, Nico de Jesus, Daniel J. Maldonado, and 2008’s Best Actor in a Musical Tony-winner, the dashing Paulo Szot as the bossy King Lance who joins in on the madcap romance when he falls for Angelique, Juliet’s nurse (the hilarious Melanie La Barrie). 

Told from a fresh feminist gaze, (Shakespeare’s wife takes over the narrative) &Juliet’s subtext makes the audience ponder where female characters might be today had women historically penned their own literary archetypes.  So, this is more than just a jukebox romp, for beyond the eye-popping set, costumes, lighting, and sound design, this simple story delves deep into a wounded girl’s psyche and emerges as an uplifting fable about the virtues of keeping an open mind – and heart. If you’re up for a new twist on the rom-com musical, you must see &Juliet.

Show Info: https://andjulietbroadway.com

Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Best Revival)

Starring singer extraordinaire Josh Groban in the title role, Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is inarguably the season’s best musical revival. From the first haunting notes of composer, Stephen Sondheim’s macabre masterwork – director Thomas Kail immerses us in the bloody and unforgiving world of Sweeney Todd. A man wronged, who – along with the help of the daft baker Mrs. Lovett (wacky, brilliant Annaleigh Ashford) — exacts his revenge on the citizens of 19^th century London in a brutally ingenious way: he’ll slash their throats and she’ll fill her meat pies with their remains. “God, that’s good!” Every element of this perfect revival is filled with intelligence and artistry: the moody sets and costumes plus the Tony-winning lighting designs (Natasha Katz), sound design (Nevin Steinberg), and casting! 

Groban sings the lush and demanding score with vigor and demonstrates great dramatic and comedic chops throughout. His Sweeney is sly, understated, lyrical, and lethal. Annaleigh Ashford has created an uproariously lusty Mrs. Lovett. She might be the funniest Mrs. Lovett since the divine Angela Lansbury. Gaten Matarazzo (Netflix’s Stranger Things) heartbreakingly plays Tobias, the urchin who innocently wanders into Todd’s and Lovett’s human pie-making scheme. Nicholas Christopher is deliciously evil as the flamboyant Adolfo Pirelli. Christopher is a uniquely captivating talent who acts and sings his role in grand style. Of great note is Maria Bilbao whose brilliant coloratura colors the very complex Johanna, the vulnerable ingénue who must ultimately save herself. This production possesses one of the most talented casts on the Great White Way including ensemble members puertoriqueño Daniel Torres, Cubana Maria Pinero, and Nicaragüence Felix Torres-Ponce with costume designs by the multi-Tony Award-nominated Dominicano Emilio Sosa. I was overjoyed to see so many Spanish-surnamed talents as part of this first-class revival.

If you’ve only seen the rather anemic film version of Sweeney Todd, please do yourself a favor and see it live at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater. This is perhaps the greatest mounting of Sondheim’s best score since the original production and is not to be missed.

Show Info: https://sweeneytoddbroadway.com

A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamon Musical (Best Bio-Musical)   

The bio-musical has emerged as a dynamic sub-genre of the modern American musical. Following in the steps of the international hits Jersey Boys, Beautiful: The Carol King Musical and Tina, The Tina Turner Musical – now comes A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical.  Featuring 30+ songs, Beautiful Noise explores the yearning soul of the prolific Neil Diamond who rose from 60s pop-song writer for The Monkeys (Now I’m a Believer, Look Out, Here Comes Tomorrow, and A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You) to selling over 130-million albums while selling-out hundreds of concerts worldwide.

Opening in his psychiatrist’s office, 80-year-old Neil Diamond (character named Neil-Now) deftly played by Mark Jacoby, is reluctant to share his life story with his analyst (richly acted by Linda Powell). Diamond’s sessions are at a stalemate until the analyst comments that if Neil can’t talk about himself, perhaps he can talk about his songs. This suggestion triggers Diamond’s inner muses (dressed as Hullaballoo dancers) to materialize as they accompany Diamond through the career highs and personal lows of his uncommon life. 

Young Neil (Neil-Then) is played by Will Swenson, who portrays the brooding rock poet from his start in tiny bohemian night clubs to serenading packed stadiums of adoring fans. Swenson has mastered Diamond’s gravel wrapped in silk voice and shows us why his penetrating lyrics spoke to a generation of fans. Frankly, Will Swenson so completely and skillfully inhabits the persona of young Neil Diamond that I consider it a gross omission that he was not Tony-nominate for this season’s Best Actor in a Musical. Period.  

Presented chronologically, with a few revealing flashbacks to his adolescence as a solitary man, the thoughtful book by Anthony McCarten follows the evolution of Diamond’s artistic trajectory. A Beautiful Noise doesn’t pull any punches as it boldly depicts the stress and sacrifices of rising to the top of the charts – Diamond married three times.

The play is beautifully structured, judiciously incorporating some of Diamond’s impressive catalog into the dramatic action (Love On the Rocks, You Don’t Bring Me Flowers) while other songs become part of thrilling concert medleys (Sweet Caroline, Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show, Crunchy Granola Suite, Soolaimon, Thank the Lord for the Nighttime to list only a few).   

When Diamond’s therapy session ends so does the play with a powerful moment of self-realization as Neil-Now steps out of his self-imposed darkness, breaks down, and struggles to repeatedly sing, “I Am, I Said” as if forgiving himself for simply being an imperfect human.

This is a tremendously entertaining night of theater and although Neil Diamond may have accepted the fact that he isn’t perfect – he might take solace in knowing that his bio-musical is.  I loved it! 

Show Info: https://abeautifulnoisethemusical.com

The post Must-See Broadway Shows Picks: ‘Sweeney Todd’, a ‘Beautiful Noise’ and ‘&Juliet’ first appeared on .

The 75^th Tony Awards Show will always be remembered as the year Academy Award winner and host, Ariana Debose, wowed the audience in a musical medley created by multi-award-winning actor, director, and composer, Lin-Manuel Miranda. Another distiction was that although five very talented Latinos were nominated for Tonys, only Albuquerque, New Mexico native, Montana Levi Blanco won the coveted prize for Best Costume Design in a Play for The Skin of Our  Teeth.

The Skin of Our Teeth marked Blanco’s Broadway debut. He was characteristically modest upon receiving the award. “I am just so grateful and I am thinking of all the people who help me get here,” said the soft-spoken Blanco.

The Skin of Our Teeth, which was directed by Liliana Blain-Cruz, who was also nominated for at Tony in the Best Director of a Play category. The story that takes place over three time periods the 1950s, 1920s and post-Civil War. With a cast of 28 doing anywhere from three to five costume changes, the play presented a challenge for Blanco as the costume designer.

“The challenging part was physically accomplishing the 120 costumes,” recalls Blanco. “120 costumes are more typical of a musical not a play.”

But it’s a challenge Blanco was more than up for because Blanco enjoys all aspects of costume design from choosing fabrics, working with the artisans in New York’s famous garment district, and seeing it all come together. Blanco fondly recalls being inspired by his grandmother’s lamp shade business. “It was watching her work with all kinds of fabrics, beads and trim where I learned to love those elements and took them with me in my career as a costume designer.”

In addition to winning the Tony for Best Costume Design in a Play, Blanco also designed the costumes for this year’s Tony winner for Best Musical, A Strange Loop.

More diversity on Broadway was the overriding theme of this year’s Tony Awards Show. As a proud gay Latina host, Ariana Debose quipped at the beginning of the show, “The Great White Way is becoming more of a nickname than a how-to-guide..” Blanco’s years of hard work on Broadway and dedication to his craft is a testament to that sentiment and the promise of more trips up on the stage to win more Tonys.

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From November 9 to December 12 of 2021, the Pasadena Playhouse will rock to the Go-Go’s fun-tastic musical Head Over Heels featuring two of Broadway’s busiest stage talents, George Salazar (Be More Chill, Godspell, Little Shop of Horrors) and Yurel Echezarreta (Moulin Rouge!, Aladdin, Matilda and Steven Spielberg’s new filmed version of West Side Story). I was privileged to interview both of these impressive artists who had plenty to say about ethnicity, career and Cheetos breath. 

CRIS FRANCO (CF):

To begin with, George, fill us in on your very unique background. 

GEORGE SALAZAR (GS):

My dad was born in Ecuador and my mom is Filipino. They met in New York City, which is about the only place that could happen. 

CF: If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere! ?

GS:  Exactly, exactly. I was just in Indiana and I’ll tell you that wouldn’t happen there. There aren’t that many of me.

CF: Yes, I’d say you cornered the market on Ecuadorian-Filipino musical comedy stars. How ‘bout you, Yurel?

YUREL ECHEZARRETA (YE): I’m Cuban-American from Miami.  

CF:  You’re an outstanding dancer. You can tell you’ve trained in ballet. 

YE: Yes. Ballet is so well-respected in Cuba. I studied and found myself at a performing arts high school where I was accepted into a musical theater program. Then I studied at Orlando Ballet and moved to New York to begin my Broadway career.

CF:  You’ve both done so many hit shows. What would you say was your first big break? 

GS:  That’s a great question.

CF:  I only ask great questions.

YE:  I’m not sure I know what you mean by “big break”? 

CF:  Meaning, when did you know you could make a career of performing? 

YE: Oh, for me that would have to be La Cage Aux Folles because it was my second Broadway show. The 2009 stage revival of West Side Story was my first Broadway show. You always wonder if being hired was a fluke.  It’s easy to doubt yourself, especially at such a young age. But getting La Cage really bolstered my confidence because the dancing was so different from that of West Side Story. I knew I could do this. I’m not just a one-hit wonder. I belong here. 

GS: Because I grew up in a multi-racial, multi-cultural household, with workaholic parents who wanted to give us the good life they never knew, my parents were really frugal. They saved to send me to college so I could become a doctor. That was the game plan. But I was the class clown who liked attention. I’d write and sing Weird Al Yankovic-style parodies in high school. One day the president of the drama club asked me to audition for Little Shop of Horrors. 

Suddenly, I was in a musical. I’d never even heard a Broadway score before. I discovered I had a knack for it. My love for performing grew into a passion and then into a career. So, I’d have to say my “big break” was simply discovering theater. I’ve been really fortunate as a person in a brown body having gotten to do a lot in a very white art form. 

CF: And you’re an Ecua-pino, you’re a double minority. 

GS:  Actually, I’m a triple minority – because I’m also gay. 

CF:  So am I!  Wow, we’re two gay guys into musical theater. How not rare!  I don’t usually get into this aspect this early in an interview. But because you brought it up, how has being Latinx impacted your career? 

YE:  Honestly, for me, being a Latin male in theater has been a blessing. But I’ve been lucky to be hired in shows about embracing our differences: La Cage, Head Over Heels, Moulin Rouge!, Matilda – are all stories about questioning the norm and welcoming diversity. But, as awesome as it’s been — it’s been hard to break into the principal world. Some directors still resist casting actors of color in major speaking roles. That’s been my challenge.  

CF: Thanks for being so candid, because I wholeheartedly agree. You’ll see productions where diversity is very calculated and measured by casting one Black, one Asian, one Latinx, one trans, etc. Hamilton is rare because inclusion is part of its DNA. At least today producers are compelled to cast ethnically specific roles appropriately. So you’ll finally see an entire cast of hispanos playing the Sharks in West Side Story. But there are very few plays like West Side Story out there.  How about you, George?

GS: Wow. (Takes a deep breath) Okay, at first I really resented being brown. In my high school notebook, I remember writing a bunch of last names that started with the letter “S” – I wrote George Sanders, George Samson, George Seltzer…

CF: That’s hilarious — 

GS: But it’s also really fucking sad. I thought I had to do that or there wasn’t going to be a place for me. My white college friends were booking lots of jobs in summer stock, but not me. It really hurt my confidence. Then, I finally got some internships in New York where I saw Karen Olivo and Eden Espinoza — stage stars who were making it. Once I graduated, I moved from Florida to New York City where they strive to make good art with solid talent. I got work and learned to love and accept myself and my dual ethnicity. 

CF:  Although we continue to grow in numbers relative to our percentage of the U.S. population, we remain grossly underrepresented in entertainment. How did your families react to your career choice? Being Cuban, pursuing a ballet career shouldn’t have been such a stretch for you, Yurel. Get it, “stretch”?  

YE: Got it, Cris. It was weird. Cuba has produced so many world-class dancers. Yet, my dad didn’t want to see me dancing in tights. He felt it wasn’t, um, masculine. He’s come around now – but initially… 

CF: Initially, he copped the American boys don’t dance ‘tude not realizing the strength, coordination and athleticism it takes to dance professionally. 

YE: Right. 

GS:   I’ve gotta say that even though my parents were not totally on-board with the acting thing – while I was interning in New York they totally supported me. It’s a testament to them because I’m sure they worried whether their mixed-race son could survive in this business. 

CF: You’re both not only surviving, you’re thriving. Yurel, tell us about working on Spielberg’s West Side Story remake. The film’s trailer looks beautiful.

YE: It is beautiful. It was a dream experience. Steven Spielberg is a legend who is open with a generosity of spirit. He knew us all by name and invited us to watch playback. And what a budget! They dressed the city to look like the old streets of New York. They brought in cars and props from the 1950’s. 

CF: It looks really real. Doesn’t look like Spielberg used much CGI.

YE: I do not know for sure.  If there are any moments of CGI in the film. My guess would be no. Mr. Spielberg shot it on film, so it’s got that classic warmth to it. 

CF: Did your body take a beating dancing on the hard cement and asphalt like the original 1961 movie cast complained about?

YE: Yes, and the weather was hot. But we had fans and misters all around to keep us cool while waiting between takes. The choreography by Justin Peck is genius, very exciting. It honors Jerome Robbins’ iconic original choreography, but it’s new. 

CF: That brings us to the new production of Head Over Heels at the Pasadena Playhouse.  George, what can we expect? 

GS: Well, you can expect to walk into a party.  We’re doing an environmental 90-minute one-act version of Head Over Heels.  The orchestra seats have been removed and the stage level has been extended over the orchestra. So you’ll have three ticketing options: up in the mezzanine, seated onstage on risers, or on your feet to shake that booty. Those floor tickets are like a choose your own adventure.

CF: Yurel, you were in the original Broadway cast of the show and now under the direction of Jenny Koons and Sam Pinkleton, you’re creating a new role for this reimagined production, right? 

YE:  Yes! I play “The Player” who facilitates integrating the live audience into the story. This Pasadena Playhouse production is more fluid and set in a less-specific time than the original concept. We’re winking at the audience and letting them in on the fun. As George said, it’s a celebration. 

GS:  And it’s exactly what we need right now because we are emerging from two years of endless Zoom meetings. We sat on our couch, with Cheetos breath, in our pajamas, alone in the dark with the windows drawn, afraid of the outside world. Well, Head Over Heels is our welcome-back party and we’re going to blow the roof off!

CF:  With A-list cast members like Alaska 5000 (RuPaul’s Drag Race winner), Lea Delaria (Orange Is the New Black),  Tiffany Mann (Lucille Lortel Award-winner), Emily Skeggs (Tony and Grammy Award-nominee), Shanice Williams (“Dorothy” in NBC’s The Wiz Live!) and you two gents – the audience will be head over heels with delight. Did you guys notice how I brilliantly worked in the show’s title? Last question: You guys are making it. What advice do you have for aspiring actors?

YE:  Assuming that they’ve done the deep dive and concluded that this is the only thing that will fulfill them and they are willing to accept the rejection, I would tell them that it takes patience.  Separate your worth from your work. Yes, work on your craft but be kind and generous – especially to yourself. Even if you are not employed, you are not broken. You are whole. If you create a balanced life, the work will follow. Develop your own abilities and simply keep going. 

GS:  And go forth and conquer!  

To see the dazzling Yurel Echezarreta and the hilarious George Salazar in the Pasadena Playhouse’s Head Over Heels, log onto: pasadenaplayhouse.org. 

The post ‘Head Over Heels’ with George Salazar and Yurel Echezarreta first appeared on .

The film is based on the stand-up comedy and life experiences of Filipino comedy star Jo Koy and is set around a family gathering to celebrate Easter Sunday. The film is directed by Jay Chandrasekhar (Super Troopers) for Steven Spilberg’s Amblin Partners. The screenplay is by Ken Cheng (Sin City Saints).

Both Phillips and Nobelzada are of Filipino descent; she is also of Mexican ancestry–her mother is Mexican-American.

Phillips plays a fictionalized version of himself in the film. The versatile actor has been a trailblazer in the Asian, Latinx, and Indigenous communities for decades. He received a Golden Globe nominee for his performance in Stand and Deliver, a school drama about math teacher Jaime Escalante and his students at an East L.A. high school. His credits include Courage Under Fire, Young Guns and, of course, La Bamba, where he portrayed rock and roll legend Ritchie Valens. He currently stars in the FOX series Prodigal Son, and recently became a published author with the release of his science-fiction fantasy novel The Tinderbox: Soldier of Indira.

Nobelzada is a theatre actress and singer who recently made her feature film debut as the lead in last year’s Yellow Rose. The musical drama is about an undocumented Filipina girl whose dreams of becoming a singer are interrupted after her mother’s arrest by immigration agents. She is an accomplished stage actor. Nobelzada’s Broadway debut as the lead in the revival of the musical Miss Saigon earned her a nomination for a Tony Award in 2017. She received a second Tony nod for leading another Broadway musical, Hadestown, which won her a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. 

Also starring Easter Sunday are Tia Carrere, Brandon Wardell, Eugene Cordero, Asif Ali, Lydia Gaston, Rodney To, Melody Butiu, Joey Guila and Elena Juatco.

According to director Koy, the shooting of Easter Sunday is a lifetime dream of his that required decades of hard work. “It’s especially meaningful that we’ve been able to assemble such an incredible group of diverse and talented filmmakers and comedians to bring this slice of Filipino culture to the world,” he says.

The film was expected to be shot in Vancouver.

Featured Photos: Lou Diamond Phillips in ‘Longmire’ (Credit: Netflix/). Eva Nobelzada (Credit: YouTube/The Tony Awards/Wikipedia)

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