Seven dramatic portraaits that reveal the comically confused and frequently anguished individual behind the stereotypic mask of Hispanic machismo.

First Published in 2003. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

New York magazine was born in 1968 after a run as an insert of the New York Herald Tribune and quickly made a place for itself as the trusted resource for readers across the country. With award-winning writing and photography covering everything from politics and food to theater and fashion, the magazine's consistent mission has been to reflect back to its audience the energy and excitement of the city itself, while celebrating New York as both a place and an idea.

New York magazine was born in 1968 after a run as an insert of the New York Herald Tribune and quickly made a place for itself as the trusted resource for readers across the country. With award-winning writing and photography covering everything from politics and food to theater and fashion, the magazine's consistent mission has been to reflect back to its audience the energy and excitement of the city itself, while celebrating New York as both a place and an idea.

In Contemporary Latina/o Theater, Jon D. Rossini explores the complex relationship between theater and the creation of ethnicity in an unprecedented examination of six Latina/o playwrights and their works: Miguel Piñero, Luis Valdez, Guillermo Reyes, Octavio Solis, José Rivera, and Cherríe Moraga. Rossini exposes how these writers use the genre as a tool to reveal and transform existing preconceptions about their culture. Through “wrighting”—the triplicate process of writing plays, righting misconceptions about ethnic identity, and creating an entirely new way of understanding Latina/o culture—these playwrights directly intervene in current conversations regarding ethnic identity, providing the tools for audiences to reexplore their previously held perspectives outside the theater. Examining these writers and their works in both cultural and historical contexts, Rossini reveals how playwrights use the liminal space of the stage—an area on the thresholds of both theory and reality—to “wright” new insights into Latina/o identity. They use the limits of the theater itself to offer practical explorations of issues that could otherwise be discussed only in highly theoretical terms. Rossini traces playwrights’ methods as they address some of the most challenging issues facing contemporary Latinas/os in America: from the struggles for ethnic solidarity and the dangers of a community based in fear, to stereotypes of Latino masculinity and the problematic fusion of ethnicity and politics. Rossini discusses the looming specter of the border in theater, both as a conceptual device and as a literal reality—a crucial subject for modern Latinas/os, given recent legislation and other actions. Throughout, the author draws intriguing comparisons to the cultural limbo in which many Latinas/os find themselves today. An indispensable volume for anyone interested in drama and ethnic studies, Contemporary Latina/o Theater underscores the power of theatricality in exploring and rethinking ethnicity. Rossini provides the most in-depth analysis of these plays to date, offering a groundbreaking look at the ability of playwrights to correct misconceptions and create fresh perspectives on diversity, culture, and identity in Latina/o America.

This volume collects all four of the writer-performer’s legendary, award–winning solo shows. John Leguizamo rose to stardom with a series of critically acclaimed solo shows in which he embodied a diverse cast of unforgettable characters. Now all four of these classic theatrical works—Freak, Spic-o-Rama, Mambo Mouth, and Sexaholix—are available in this one essential volume. Mambo Mouth Leguizamo’s first show was an Off-Broadway sensation. In it, he portrayed seven different Latino characters in a bravura performance that earned him both Obie and Outer Critics Circle awards. Spic–O–Rama A “dysfunctional family comedy,” presents 24–hours in the life of one family. It enjoyed a sold–out run in Chicago before relocating to New York where it won its creator a Drama Desk Award. Freak Leguizamo’s Broadway debut tells his own coming–of–age story. A “demi–semi–quasi–pseudo–autobiography,” which went on to become an Emmy special on HBO. Sexaholix: A Love Story Leguizamo’s “raunchy-yet-sweet comic solo performance”—a hit on both Broadway and HBO—explores his own coming of age as he transforms into a father and family man (Washington Post).