Jose, Can You See: Latinos On And Off Broadway

In two acts, complete with overture and intermission, Alberto Sandoval-Sanchez shines his spotlight on representations and images of Latinos on the American stage. In act 1, Jose, Can You See? scans the way Latinos get typecast on Broadway and in popular culture -- from the enduring archetypes established by such icons as Carmen Miranda and Desi Arnaz to the stereotypes perpetuated in such full-scale musicals as West Side Story and A Chorus Line.

In act 2 Sandoval-Sanchez offers a fresh perspective on how Latinos/as represent themselves in their own theatrical productions, as he introduces a whole body of relatively unknown Latino plays. Suggesting that all these plays pose a response to popular culture's stereotypes, he discusses the ways in which Latino theater both confronts the dangers of assimilation and validates Latino traditions, culture, and identities.