COLOMBIA AUTHOR · HISPANIC AMERICANS · DRAMA
John Leguizamo
John Alberto Leguizamo Peláez is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and film producer. He has appeared in more than 100 films, produced more than 20 films and documentaries, made more than 30 television appearances, and has produced various television projects. He has also written and performed for the Broadway stage, receiving four Tony Award nominations for Freak in 1998, Sexaholix in 2002, and Latin History for Morons in 2018. He received a Special Tony Award in 2018. (Source)
Most acclaimed
Mambo mouth
1993
A wildly fun and hysterical collection of characters from the mind of John Leguizamo. Playable by one actor or a small ensemble, Mambo Mouth excavates issues of adolescence, race, parenthood, and more. AGAMEMNON. A failed actor/misogynist public-access character who takes letters, calls, and reenacts woulda-been screen triumphs and personal vendettas. LOCO LOUIE. A funny cautionary tale about why you shouldn’t always be in a hurry to get older. ANGEL GARCIA. A recently arrested man realizes that his behavior has consequences. PEPE. A man, cornered, tries to appeal to an officer by noting the contradictions of race in America. MANNY THE FANNY. A woman shares how she’s taken care of herself with men. INCA PRINCE. A father tries to get his son to go to sleep with creative bedtime stories. CROSSOVER KING. A Latino man tries to teach the audience about passing as a different race to be more palatable to white Americans.
Freak
1997
"Freak: a Semi-Demi-Quasi-Pseudo Autobiography is John Leguizamo's hilarious coming-of-age story. Set in various neighborhoods of Queens, New York, in the eras of disco and break-dancing, Freak recounts the turmoil and eccentricities within a Latino family struggling to make it. A domineering father, frustrated by his rocky quest for the American dream; a mother who finds feminism and the club scene when she tires of Pop's tight control; a pudgy, eager-to-please, easily manipulated younger brother; and John - who doesn't spare himself in telling the gory details of his teen years." "Freak is the book adaptation of Leguizamo's comical and critically acclaimed one-man Broadway show. But Freak, the book, contains narrative that had to be cut from the show because of time restraints."--BOOK JACKET.
Kiki and the Can
When the citywide mural project comes to town, Kiki finds a spray can of paint, and turns the blank walls of his neighborhood into a colorful canvas that lets him express himself through his vibrant artistry. At the same time, he shows the world the super-power of his cultural community and celebrates what it truly means to be a hero. Golden Globe nominee, Tony Award-winning actor, and cultural historian, John Leguizamo, collaborates with his childhood friend, internationally-renowned graffiti artist, John “Crash” Matoes, to bring their beloved childhood experiences to the page in this love letter to creative expression.