LATIN HISTORY FOR MORONS marks theatre’s most prolific modern Latino playwright’s sixth one-man venture onto the stage. Following its Tony-nominated hit Broadway run seen by tens of thousands, Tony Award winner John Leguizamo hit the road on a nationwide tour bringing his message of inclusion and self-acceptance into the world at the exact time it is needed most. Now wrapping up its journey at Center Theatre Group’s Ahmanson Theatre through October 20, 2019, my advice is to get your tickets NOW to this highly entertaining and exceptionally educational comedy fest!
The play was written in response to Leguizamo’s then 12-year old son being bullied in his private middle school based on racial profiling. Wanting to give him the ability to fight back with words and facts about why Latinos ARE just as worthy to be here led Leguizamo on a search for Latin contributions to America and the World. “I always felt so othered and second-class,” he shared and didn’t want his son to feel that way. After all, “You have to see yourself outside of yourself or you will feel invisible.”
LATIN HISTORY FOR MORONS is inspired by his discovery of the near-total absence of Latinos from his son’s American History books. But how can that be, he thought, since the Mayan, Inca and Aztec cultures were brilliant inventors and thrived as a society before Europeans arrived to claim the Americas as their own? During his journey of discovery, Leguizamo shares what he learned about his own cultural heritage by acting as “teacher” to the audience, filling both sides of a chalkboard several times over with examples and facts that will open your eyes to lessons that should be taught in schools and society in general, now more than ever. Be ready to be rocked to your core!
When asked how the play has evolved since he started developing it five years ago, Leguizamo said, “I feel like right now it’s at its most powerful, in a strange way. This administration, the worse it gets, the more impactful my play becomes… making me feel like I’m doing a public service by giving people hope that we overcome all this, and that unity is better than division.”
His incredibly diverse and outrageously clever portrayals of those he met or discovered during his frenzied search to find a Latin hero for his son’s school history project will keep you laughing while learning more than any school history book ever taught about what culturally defines American identity or what it really means to be an American. From a mad recap of the Aztec and Inca empires to stories of unknown Latin patriots of the Revolutionary War and beyond, Leguizamo breaks down the 3,000 years between the Mayans and Pitbull into 110 irreverent and uncensored minutes, with an occasional ad-lib session with lucky audience patrons seated in the front rows, while always at ease with his irreverent self and unique stand-up, in-your-face comedy style.
LATIN HISTORY FOR MORONS is directed by Tony Taccone with a nod to the brilliance of Leguizamo’s ability to grab an audience by the seat of their pants while holding them in the palm of his hand. Written and performed by Leguizamo, featuring scenic design by Rachel Hauck, lighting design by Alexander V. Nichols and original music and sound design by Bray Poor, the award-winning play is produced by The WOW Agency, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and The Public Theater. Tickets ranging from $35-$145 are available online at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org or by calling (213) 972-4400 or in person at the Center Theatre Group Box Office at the Ahmanson Theatre located at The Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A. 90012. More information at www.LatinHistoryOnTour.com