ZOOT SUIT A MONSTER HIT IN ITS NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PREMIERE
Sold-out Performances Prompt a Third Extension ? Will Now Play Through
March 30

www.elteatrocampesino.com/campesin/playhous/nowplaying/nowplay.html

Twenty-five years after the birth of what would become a classic in the
American theatre world, the hugely popular and critically acclaimed
“Zoot Suit” by Luis Valdez is proving once again to be a monster hit.

A third extension was announced today of a very special run of "Zoot
Suit" in its Northern Californian premiere at El Teatro Campesino.

Produced for the first time at the San Juan Bautista home base of
playwright/director Valdez and featuring the next generation of Teatro
artists, “Zoot Suit” opened October 19, 2002, and quickly sold out every
performance through its initial closing date of November 24. An
extension was announced through January 12, 2003, and each of those
performances was sold out as well. A second extension that started
January 16 and will run through February 9 is also completely sold-out.

Tickets go on sale February 3 for the third and final extension of "Zoot
Suit," which will run February 20 through March 30. "Zoot" will
definitely close on March 30 though plans for a national tour are
currently in negotiation.

"Zoot Suit" recreates the fascinating time and place of World War II Los
Angeles with its imaginative portrayal of the Sleepy Lagoon murder
mystery and the Zoot Suit Riots. Filled with heart, sly wit and
infectious music, "Zoot Suit" brings to the stage such unforgettable
characters as the sage and irreverent El Pachuco, and the charismatic
Henry Reyna, who so poignantly found himself in the middle of the
turbulent events that rocked the city during the early 1940s.

"Zoot Suit" first opened at the Mark Taper Forum where it ran for an
unprecedented twelve-week run in 1978. "Zoot Suit" broke all attendance
records at the Taper and subsequently moved to the Aquarius Theatre in
Hollywood where it played to even larger audiences for one year.
Coinciding with the run in Hollywood, this critically acclaimed
production opened on Broadway in 1979 and became a landmark production
in the American theatre. It was also adapted for the screen and was
released by Universal Pictures as a motion picture in 1981.

El Teatro Campesino’s "Zoot Suit" is directed by Kinan Valdez and
features Raul Cardona as El Pachuco, Lakin Valdez as Henry Reyna,
Estrella Esparza as Alice Bloomfield,Anahuac Valdez as The Press and
Paul Myrvold as George Shearer.

Performances of “Zoot Suit” are Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. with
matinees on Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. On March 30, a
special performance will be held in honor of Cesar Chavez’s birthday
(March 31) and to raise funds for remodeling of the El Teatro Campesino
Playhouse. Ticket prices for this event are $50.

Tickets for “Zoot Suit” are priced from $12 to $20.

The El Teatro Campesino Playhouse is located at 705 Fourth Street in San
Juan Bautista. The box office is open Monday through Friday from 10
a.m. to 5 p.m. or tickets can be charged by phone by calling (831)
634-2444. Tickets can also be purchased online by visiting
_www.elteatrocampesino.com.


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