Reality Bypass

Book Review: Zoot Suit and other plays October 27, 2009

This is a book of three plays by Chicano playwright Luis Valdez that question the various media images of the Mexican American in American popular culture. The plays deal with the Bandido Mexicano in the American West, the image of the Pachuco during World War II and the images of Mexicans in movies and television. I thoroughly enjoyed all three plays, including the metatheatrical elements that divorce the play from the traditional “fourth wall” realism. The characters are aware they are roles in a drama, and speak directly with the audience or comment on the theatrical works themselves. Valdez also introduces other metatheater elements, such as the ‘invisible’ Pachuco advising Zoot Suit’s protragonist, a musical chorus that sings out the social context of the works, and the unique settings: from a juxtaposed Melodrama Stage and Realist jail cel, to a play set in a movie studio. While all of these plays would be best Seen rather than read, they’re enjoyable to read as well. The character interactions are rich, the dialogue is both tragic and comic, and this alternative perspective on the American Past is interesting for any reader without being exclusionary. Speaking a little Spanish is a plus, but not neccesary.

Rating issues: There’s harsh language, racial and sexual references

If you want to see Zoot Suit in it’s entirety, Youtube has it available.