Crossing Borders

Su Teatro's Chicanos Sing the Blues was born on a ride up the highway from Pueblo and fueled by the beautiful crossover mess of Los Super Seven's Tex-Mex mutt music, says company director Anthony Garcia, who wrote the musical with his driving mate, Daniel Valdez. The result, a revue that's...

By Susan Froyd

June 21, 2012

Audio By Carbonatix

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Su Teatro's Chicanos Sing the Blues was born on a ride up the highway from Pueblo and fueled by the beautiful crossover mess of Los Super Seven's Tex-Mex mutt music, says company director Anthony Garcia, who wrote the musical with his driving mate, Daniel Valdez. The result, a revue that's loosely wrapped around the story of a cancer patient while exploring Chicano roots music both old and new, is fast becoming a Su Teatro classic. "I didn't expect it to have that kind of traction," Garcia admits now, but he might have been underestimating his audience.

"People got what it was about," he muses. "For me, this is not a nostalgic oldies show. It really is an interesting, curated selection of music that explores how it all comes from different cultures interacting. I believe that rancheras and boleros actually come from the same source as the blues. It makes perfect sense to put Muddy Waters right next to Lola Beltran and Linda Ronstadt. People got that. And when we do a Freddy Fender number, everyone in the audience is raising their beer along with us." And Garcia hopes he's sharing more than just the great music: "We wanted to reference things people have a cultural association with, but to push them out of their comfort zone, too."

Chicanos Sing the Blues returns for a repeat run beginning tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Su Teatro at the Denver Civic Theatre, 721 Santa Fe Drive, and continuing on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through June 24; for tickets, $12 to $20, go to suteatro.net or call 303-296-0219.
Thursdays-Saturdays, 7:30 p.m. Starts: June 14. Continues through June 24, 2012

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Susan Froyd started writing for Westword as the "Thrills" editor in 1992 and never quite left the fold. These days she still freelances for the paper in addition to walking her dogs, enjoying cheap ethnic food and reading voraciously. Sometimes she writes poetry.

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