NYC’s Latino theaters back in full swing

“¡Americano!” — based on the true story of an undocumented Mexican teen rejected by the U.S. Marines after he tries to enlist in the days after 9/11 — continues through June 19 at New World Stages (340 W. 50th St.).

The musical centers on Tony Valdovinos, who arrived in the U.S. from Mexico when he was 2 and learns the truth about his immigration status when he was turned down at a Phoenix, Ariz., recruitment office.

Valdovinos turned his disappointment about his immigration status into a career in local politics and enrolling in Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the program initiated by former President Barack Obama in 2012 that allows immigrants brought to the U.S. as children to work, and protects them from deportation.

His story caught the attention of theater producers in Phoenix, where “¡Americano!” opened in 2019 for a critically acclaimed run before it’s current Off-Broadway production featuring a nearly all-Latin cast headlined by Colombian actor Sean Ewing (“West Side Story” and “Amazing Grace” on Broadway) as Valdovinos. newworldstages.com

’TORCHED!’ LIGHTS UP THE BRONX

Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater’s original musical production “TORCHED runs May 19 through June 12 and features a mix of salsa, funk-disco, and hip-hop to tell the tale of the Bronx in the bad old days of the 1970s to present-day personal accounts of those who lived through the borough’s fires amid the arson-for-profit business. Directed by Rosalba Rolón, musical direction by Desmar Guevara. At Pregones Theater, 575 Walton Ave. near 149th St. pregonesprtt.org

’EVA LUNA’ OPENS AT REPERTORIO ESPAÑOL

Isabel Allende’s novel “Eva Luna,” adapted for the stage by Caridad Svich and directed by Estefanía Fadul, is a coming-ofage story about a woman born into poverty who becomes a storyteller and a reflector of history. Performed in Spanish with English subtitles. Preview begin May 28 at Repertorio Español, 138 E. 27th St.