ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
Writer, actor and comedian John Leguizamo has been telling stories about Latinos in the U.S. for some three decades now. His latest play, called "The Other Americans," is now on stage in Washington, D.C. Here's NPR's Elizabeth Blair.
ELIZABETH BLAIR, BYLINE: If you're familiar with John Leguizamo, you know he can bust some moves, like he did as the nerdy hip-hop kid in his one-man show "Mambo Mouth"...
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UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: Go. Go. Go. Go. Go. Go. Go. Go.
BLAIR: ...Or in "Latin History For Morons."
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JOHN LEGUIZAMO: Mambo.
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BLAIR: In his new show, he plays the father, Nelson, who dances with his wife, Patti.
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LEGUIZAMO: (As Nelson Castro) And then she'd break that beat down.
LUNA LAUREN VELEZ: (As Patti) Quick, quick, slow, slow, quick, quick, slow, slow.
LEGUIZAMO: (As Nelson Castro) And then she'd switch it up and chop it up and (vocalizing).
BLAIR: Leguizamo lights up when you ask him about dancing.
LEGUIZAMO: I just love it because, first of all, it's part of my family. And, you know, my parents were, like, dancing freaks - and my aunt. We were all - I mean, you know, it's just part of our culture. And I love that Nelson and Patti - their clubbing days were the highlight of their lives. You know, their best lives were back when - not now, back then, when they could move, when they were hot and sexy, where they would go to clubs and people would watch them.
BLAIR: The character of Nelson is a Colombian Puerto Rican who owns laundromats in Queens, New York. He's a striver who wants to expand his business, but it's not working.
LEGUIZAMO: We hustle. We work. We grind. And, you know, we get to a certain level, and the rest is impossible. So this man believes it and hustles, and, you know, bank loans don't come. Venture capitalists don't come.
BLAIR: "The Other Americans" is partly inspired by Leguizamo's own childhood.
LEGUIZAMO: My parents were always on that same kind of American dream hustle. You know, we moved every year of my life to a better situation. But, you know, sometimes these better situations brought me a lot of issues when I was in the neighborhood. You know, I got beat up a lot because - there was white flight, but before they left, they all decided to beat me up.
BLAIR: Leguizamo learned how to talk his way out of getting beaten up. In "The Other Americans," it's Nelson's son who's attacked. After 10 months in rehab, the family welcomes him home.
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VELEZ: (As Patti) Plus, mi hijito, you sound like you're in a really good place now.
TREY SANTIAGO-HUDSON: (As Nicky) Yeah, ma, I am in a good place. Believe it or not, that [expletive] hospital did help me out.
LEGUIZAMO: (As Nelson) Well, I should hope so. That joint cost me an arm and a leg.
SANTIAGO-HUDSON: (As Nicky) They laid out a whole plan for me to slowly get back into the swing of things. I just need to be aware of my warning signs, take my meds and not miss group. And then, I think, if I can just ease my way back in, I can get my life back.
BLAIR: Nelson scoffs at his son's openness about his mental health needs.
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LEGUIZAMO: (As Nelson Castro) There's no room for freeloaders in this house.
RUBEN SANTIAGO-HUDSON: It's very important in this play that people notice that in our communities, people of color - we brush over mental illness.
BLAIR: Ruben Santiago-Hudson directs "The Other Americans."
SANTIAGO-HUDSON: When you say, you know, I'm going to my therapist, they'll laugh at you. It took a long time for me to say, I'ma go to talk to a therapist.
BLAIR: In the same way therapy can help people go deeper into their own personal stories, theater can help people see themselves. John Leguizamo.
LEGUIZAMO: I think the beauty of theater and plays like this is that, you know, for generations, they've given white people - especially, you know, the average Joe and Jane - a sense that their lives have value and meaning. This - I feel like a play like this gives the everyman and everywoman Latina, Latino a sense that their life has value, has meaning.
BLAIR: Elizabeth Blair, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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