Robert Montano's 'SMALL' makes a big return to NYC

The writer/performer discusses his journey from racehorse jockey to successful dancer, a story at the center of his autobiographical solo show about second chances.

Summary

• Writer/performer Robert Montano discusses the inspiration behind his new solo show SMALL
• Montano was an aspiring racehorse jockey who later pivoted to a dance career
• He discusses the show's themes of perseverance; his bond with Chita Rivera; and bringing his jockey and performance worlds together

“I wrote this for the underdogs of the world,” Robert Montano said of his autobiographical solo play SMALL. “I want them to feel that my story is for them.” It is a fitting mission statement for an autobiographical play that traces an extraordinary journey of perseverance and second chances. Now, following a critically acclaimed premiere run in 2023, the show is making a highly anticipated return to New York City at the Pershing Square Signature Center through July 25. Directed with finesse by Jessi D. Hill, the show previously earned award nominations for the 2024 Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Outstanding Solo Performance.

SMALL traces Montano’s extraordinary life journey, beginning with his childhood dreams of becoming a professional racehorse jockey. Growing up as a heavily bullied boy who was smaller than his peers, Montano found his sanctuary at the racetrack. Being small was suddenly his greatest asset, as jockeys must maintain exceptionally strict, lightweight physical requirements to qualify for races or risk being replaced. But the sport’s dangerous, sometimes fatal demands would eventually take a devastating familial toll that pushed Montano to walk away from the track and forge a new path in the performing arts.

The initial spark for SMALL came years later from Jon Jory, the artistic director at Actors Theatre of Louisville, who noticed that Montano always included a tribute to the racetrack in his theatre program bios. Jory asked Montano what he was doing during his years trying to make it as a jockey. Montano recalled telling him he was “praying to God to keep me small and running every day to lose weight.” Jory recognized the power in that struggle, telling the performer, “That’s your story, man.”

“It’s about perseverance," Montano said of his show. "People can attach themselves to that because it just sounds like a very blue-collar way of thinking.”

The story chronicles how those shattered racing dreams eventually paved the way for a remarkable second act. Following the death of his cousin, fellow jockey Robert Pineda, at age 25 in a 1978 racing accident, Montano fell into a deep depression. Hoping to help him escape his grief, a friend encouraged Montano to visit a disco club.

It was there, immersed in the movement of the crowd, that he first realized dancing offered him the same feeling of freedom as being on horseback. At age 20, he auditioned for Adelphi University’s dance department, earned a full scholarship, and remarkably booked a Broadway role in Cats one week before graduating.

Montano’s stage career flourished, leading to profound professional and personal relationships, most notably with Broadway icon Chita Rivera. She not only shared the stage with Montano in the 1993 Tony Award-winning musical Kiss of the Spider Woman, but she also became a mentor and helped him produce the initial run of SMALL.

“She taught me a lot of things — and not just on the stage and learning how to perform, but also how to conduct yourself outside the theatre and be gracious,” Montano said. While Rivera passed away in 2024, Montano keeps her memory close, noting, “Every time I finish my warmup on stage, I give blessings to my mom, my dad, and Chita.”

The ultimate validation for SMALL came when Montano offered a performance for a crowd of trainers and jockeys in Saratoga. Knowing the intense pressure of performing for his former peers, Montano’s fiancée, famed Broadway dancer Dylis Croman, checked in on him. “Dylis said to me, ‘Honey, are you okay?’” Montano recalled. He knew the racing industry would offer no sugarcoating. “Eventually I told her, ‘If anyone’s going to be honest with me, it’s going to be the racing industry because they just say it like it is.’”

Despite his fears, Montano received a standing ovation, tears, and a glowing endorsement from renowned jockey Gary Stevens, who told him, “Man, you said it like it is. No movie has ever come close to this reality, good, bad or indifferent.”

Ultimately, Montano hopes SMALL resonates with anyone who has ever fought for a goal. “It’s about us waking up and having those hopes and dreams,” he said. “And if those dreams are shattered, where do you go from there?” By sharing his triumphs alongside his heartbreaks, Montano proves that even when the first race doesn’t go as planned, there is always a chance to find your footing anew and dance your way to a beautiful finish.

Get SMALL tickets now.

Photo credit: Robert Montano in SMALL. (Photo by Rich Soublet II)