Zoot Suit

"Zoot Suit"

Luis Valdez brought something to Chicano theater when he came up with the idea of creating a Chicano musical a form of theater that was more common for white America. As I read Zoot Suit I could not stop wondering how the play would look once it was on stage I could not picture a play that included singing and dancing after I have read all of the other play by Luis Valdez and the Teatro Campesino. I only wish that I had been lucky enough to watch the play on stage. One other thing that surprised me was that this play made it to Broadway and was also the longest running play in Los Angeles.

I found the play very interesting and could not stop reading especially because I knew that the play was based on a true story a crime that actually took place against Chicanos. I did not know much about the sleepy lagoon case before I read the play. Having an interest on the subject helped me stay focus on the story and kept me reading. However I kept wondering how the play would look on stage. As we watched the movie in class I felt amassed I had never seen so many brown faces on stage at the same time before and I truly loved it. I only wish that more play or even movies would include Latinos into the stage of even the wide screen. By Luis Valdez creating a more American type of play it was able to be seen by many people that would have never had the chance to it would have been kept as an acto. Overall I really enjoyed reading and watching the play. By being able to see how a play is supposed to look on stage it give the play a whole new look I wish that I was able to see all of the play that we have read in this class. I can't wait to summer to see where I am able to see these play either acted out or simply watch them on TV.