Viva la causa!"
In the early '60s, Cesar Chavez began a drive to organize the farm workers in Delano, California. In 1970, the first-ever contract between the California grape farmers and the United Farm Workers was signed. Let the Eagle Fly is the story of this struggle and a look into the life of Chavez beginning in 1938 when he was 11 years old and his brother Richard was 9.
Eagle, under the direction of William A. Virchis, is a production of Southwestern College, School of Arts and Communication, Theater Department in association with Teatro Mascara Magica. With a cast of almost 40 and a running time close to three hours, the musical is definitely a big show. For this reviewer it was a very fast three hours.
Opening with the 1993 funeral procession of Cesar Chavez walking up the aisle to the stage, the show quickly traces the early days of the Chavez brothers, Cesar (Joey Molina) and Richard (Dave Rivas). Projections on an upstage center screen identify the location and time of many of the 22 scenes with woodcuts, still photos and moving images.
Returning from the war in 1946, young Cesar, a Navy veteran, is greeted with "Welcome Home" and "Polka La Baratita." He is met by his zoot-suited brother, his wife Helen Fabela Chavez (Satya Chavez), and his many friends. They go to a local diner to celebrate, only to be thrown out. A counter sign states, "White Trade Only." A few years later, in Cesar's San Jose house, he is approached by an activist to register Chicanos to vote. Richard sings a robust "Professor Smart." Cesar laments with "Why Did I Say 'Yes'?" and "My Name is Cesar Chavez" as he begins on the long path to his activism.
Cesar, a nonviolent activist, leaves a relatively stable job to become a farm worker in the fields of Delano. Helen and Richard join him. The rest, as they say, is history. John Reeger's book, while tracing Chavez's history, minimizes the perils and difficulties the United Farm Workers union faced. Julie Shannon's music, much like Sondheim, tells much of the story.
Let the Eagle Fly is a play with music and some dance, rather than a musical. . Some of us witnessed one of the last struggles in the United States to bring unionization to an industry. For those who've only read about the UFW struggle to represent a very poor and oppressed labor group, the production offers insight into the movement and the man that made it happen.
With a cast spanning generations from kindergarten to retirement, the quality of acting is varied. However, the story, the music, and the featured players bring the piece to life. It is a story worth viewing and experiencing, and the inclusion of many projections greatly enhances the production.
