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In the early '40s, zoot suits were a fashion statement that actually had something to say. The baggy suits were favored by African American and Latino youths who were shut out of mainstream society and so built their own subcultures. Then as now, in a few years, the style was absorbed into American culture and became just another fashion trend.
But there is certainly meaning enough behind these clothes and what they once represented that playwright Luis Valdez created a musical drama about them. Zoot Suit, which debuted a quarter-century ago in Los Angeles, will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a debut in San Jose. (See related story on the last page of this section.) This inaugural South Bay production, presented by El Teatro Campesino, opens Aug. 28 at CET Theater in downtown San Jose. It will kick off an anniversary tour of the play to the Southwest.
Valdez intertwines original swing-inspired music, as well as favorite tunes of the era, with a drama based on a true story of the 1942 Sleepy Lagoon murder trials in Los Angeles in which zoot suits--deemed "hoodlum" clothing--became key to the prosecution's case in falsely accusing 12 young Latino men of murder.
Zoot Suit was made into a film in the early '80s, which starred Edward James Olmos, Tyne Daly and Valdez's brother, Daniel, as Henry, whom officials dub the leader of the "gang" responsible for the murder. Valdez's son, Kinan, a director at El Teatro Campesino, helms this production.
El Teatro Campesino and the Center for Employment Training (CET) present "Zoot Suit" Aug. 28Sept. 11 (previews Aug. 2627) at CET Theater, 701 Vine St., San Jose. Tickets are $22$45 ($150 Aug. 28 gala). For more information, call 925.275.9005 or go to www.elteatrocampesino.com.
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