‘Let The Eagle Fly,’ a musical about the life and work of Cesar Chavez, is on stage at San Jose City College
A few years ago, when Rudy Chavez Medina first saw the musical based on the life of his legendary uncle Cesar Chavez, "Let the Eagle Fly," in Sacramento, he found himself moved to tears."I’ll never forget that day. When Cesar came out on stage, I thought to myself, ‘Oh, my god, he looks like my uncle; he walks like my uncle,’ " recalls Medina, choking up as he speaks. "Then the actor started to sing ‘De Colores,’ and I thought, he sure doesn’t sound like my uncle. That brought me back to reality." The iconic farmworker activist was famous in the Chavez family for not being able to carry a tune. And yet songs of protest were so crucial to the rise of the movement that director Richard Falcon felt that only a musical could adequately capture the galvanic spirit of that time. "We had to have music, because it was such a key element in the grape boycott," he says. "It played such a huge part in organizing the farmworkers." The local premiere at San Jose City College Theatre continues through March 31. In Sacramento, by the time the curtain fell, Medina believed his family’s foundation, Chavez Family Vision, should produce the South Bay debut of the musical play. With a book by John Reeger and score by Julie Shannon, it traces the life of Chavez from childhood as the son of migrant farmworkers to his heady days as a civil rights champion during the grape boycott and beyond. It’s a celebration intended to educate and inspire. "This is my far the most accurate and genuine depiction of my family’s experience and that time in Cesar’s life that I have ever seen," Medina says. "I knew we had to bring it to San Jose, because this is where it all started. This is the birthplace of the farmworkers movement." Medina also signed on to play his grandfather, Librado, in the play, which he says has been a challenging feat emotionally. It’s also still difficult for him to watch the scene when the family hears the news of Cesar’s death in 1993. "It can be hard," he says, "but this is a labor of love. It’s been 17 years since Cesar’s death, and unless you are telling the story and leading by example, the memory starts to fade. We want to rekindle that." In addition to keeping alive the memory of Chavez, Falcon puts the focus on the labor and class issues that he believes were central to Chavez’s life and work are still relevant. "It’s not really a play about race. It’s a play about who has power and who doesn’t," he says. "This isn’t a Chicano story. Cesar wasn’t a Chicano hero. He was an American hero, and this an American musical." Falcon, who works as an IT consultant by day, believes in the project so deeply that he’s been commuting from his home in Sacramento to San Jose at least five times a week for rehearsals. "When you believe in something," he says, "you do what you have to do to make it happen."The challenges include doing justice to a legendary story, honing the talents of a largely student cast and pulling off an epic musical on a shoestring budget. "It’s definitely a work in progress," Falcon says. "Songs are being pulled, scenes rewritten." He hopes to take the play into schools somewhere down the line. "The kids in the show are working so hard, and they are so committed to this project. It’s really inspirational," he adds.Medina hopes people will leave a performance with a renewed sense of optimism about what one individual can accomplish, despite the odds. "One of the things that Cesar taught me is that, no matter how hard the struggle is, you can prevail," Medina says. "I want people to walk away from the play with a sense of hope. That’s the message we want to get out there. Si se puede! Yes, we can."
Contact Karen D’Souza at 408-271-3772.
"Let The Eagle Fly "
” The Story of Cesar Chavez and the Farm Workers"
Presented by the Chavez Family Vision
Through: March 3
Where: San Jose City College Theatre
2100 Moorpark Ave., San Jose
Tickets: $20-$50; 408-300-3809