John Leguizamo: Latin History for Dummies at the Public
The Public Theater and Berkeley Repertory Theatre will present the NY premiere of John Leguizamo: Latin History for Dummies, directed by Tony Taccone, at the Public Theater in Spring 2017.
John Leguizamo released the following statement:
"Just imagine you're a white kid and all of a sudden everybody's Latin and everything they're teaching you is Latin and you don't hear anything about yourself or about your contributions. And it's really weird and unfair because we had huge contributions."Artistic Director Oskar Eustis added:
"John Leguizamo is one of the great talents of his generation, a comedian and actor who has pushed the boundaries of theater and performance to new heights and depths. Tony Taccone has been my comrade, friend, and colleague for more than 35 years, a leader in our field and a fiercely gifted director. What a joy to welcome them back to The Public."Synopsis: "John Leguizamo: Latin History for Dummies was inspired by Leguizamo's observation that Latinos are essentially invisible in the standard American history curriculum. He schools his son - and the rest of us - on the marginalization of Latinos in U.S. history and the vital roles they played in building this country. From a satirical recap of Aztec and Incan history to stories of Latin patriots in the Revolutionary and Civil War and beyond, Leguizamo breaks down 3,000 years into 90 irreverent and uncensored minutes in his trademark comedic style."
Exact dates and further creative team information will be announced at a later date.
John Leguizamo earned Tony nominations for both his writing and performance in 'Freak' in 1998. He received a Drama Desk Award for the one-man show, along with a second award for 'Ghetto Klown' in 2011 and a nomination for 'Spic-O-Rama' (Westside Theatre) in 1993. Other Broadway credits include 'Sexaholix' and 'American Buffalo.' He last appeared at The Public Theater in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' and 'La Puta Vida Trilogy' in 1987. He also earned an Emmy Award in 1999 for the TV broadcast of 'Freak' and was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1996 for 'To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar.' Other notable screen credits include Baz Luhrmann's 'Romeo + Juliet' and 'Moulin Rouge!,' 'Carlito's Way,' 'Kick-Ass 2,' 'The Honeymooners,' and 'Righteous Kill.' He also voices the role of Sid in the 'Ice Age' movie franchise.
John LeguizamoOriginally published on