The musical “¡Americano!” tells the story of Mexican dreamer Tony Valdovinos, who sought to enlist in the navy, however, failing to do so due to his undocumented status, he began a career in political activism for immigrants.
Tony Valdovinos is a Mexican Dreamer who grew up in Phoenix, Arizona who sought to enlist in the Navy. After the events of 9/11, as a child Tony Valdovinos thought of fighting for his country and after waiting several years, when he turned 18 he decided to enlist in the Navy. However, being undocumented, he did not have a birth certificate or a driver's license, which covers one of the requirements to start the process.
Until the age of 18, Valdovinos did not know that he was undocumented. After speaking with his parents, they confessed that he was really born in Colima, Mexico and that he had entered the United States illegally at the age of two. After graduating from high school and failing to achieve his goal of joining the Navy, Valdovinos tried to get into Community College, but it was too expensive for undocumented students due to legislation at the time.
In this way, Valdovinos, recognizing himself as a dreamer, began his path as a political activist, so that his voice and that of thousands of Latinos in Arizona could be heard. This gave him the opportunity to work in the Phoenix city council and in the campaign of former Marine Rubén Gallego, who since 2015 has been a member of the United States House of Representatives.
Valdovinos' story and his work was recognized in Arizona, so writers and composers, looking to create a story about an immigrant, contacted him. Later, Valdovinos met with them and told them his story in detail, thus the musical ¡Americano! was born, which, through an inspiring story and 20 original songs, narrates important aspects of Valdovinos' life.
“I understood that it was my responsibility to share my story and hopefully inspire other Dreamers to get involved,” Valdovinos explained. "I just didn't understand the scope of what we were trying to accomplish here," he added.
On January 29, 2020, the musical premiered at The Phoenix Theater Company to critical acclaim. Just over two years later it will become the first musical or play from Arizona to come to New York. The casting of ¡Americano!, has 85% Latino representatives. In addition, it features an original score by singer and songwriter Carrie Rodríguez.
The musical will run for 12 weeks at New World Stages, with the first performance on March 31, in honor of Tony Valdovinos' birthday. However, the first function for the general public will be on April 21 and the functions will end on June 19.
¡Americano!, has had the support of organizations such as Chicanos Por la Causa, which invested 1.7 million dollars for its debut in New York. This is an opportunity to tell our story from our perspective, not only by our dreamers but also by a large part of the community”, explained the organization's president David Adame.
ABC15
PHOENIXMAG
PLAYBILL
BROADWAYWORLD
