‘Where Do We Sit on the Bus?’ answers question to a Latin beat
City Theatre opens its doors to “Where Did We Sit on the Bus?,” Brian Quijada’s one-man show that moves to a Latin beat, with elements of rap, hip-hop, spoken word and live looping — the recording and playback of music in real time.
It’s a joy to watch Brian’s story unfold and see the magic of what one performer and a laptop can do,” said Clare Drobot, City’s director of new play development.
The title comes from a lesson about the civil rights era and Rosa Parks, when Mr. Quijada was a third-grader in Highwood, Ill., circa 1996. He told the Chicago Tribune that he raised his hand to ask, “Latinos — where did we sit on the bus?” And the teacher’s reply was, “Oh. They weren’t around.”
The show he created to answer his question “encapsulates our 2018-19 season theme of ‘your world, our stage,’” Ms. Drobot said. “We’re thrilled to bring Brian Quijada and [director] Chay Yew to Pittsburgh with a production that’s both timely and immensely engaging.”
She called the performance a tour de force and added that the “themes of family, heritage and an artist finding his voice will deeply resonate with our community.”
When the show originated at Teatro Vista/Victory Gardens in Chicago, the Chicago Sun Times raved, “An explosion of energy, raw emotion and irresistible storytelling.” The autobiographical production earned Mr. Quijada a Chicago stage Jefferson Award, and the off-Broadway run was nominated for two Drama Desk Awards in 2017. An audio version of the performance, “Where Do We Sit on the Bus: The Mixtape,” is available on music streaming services.
“Where Did We Sit on the Bus?” is at City Theatre’s Lester Hamburg Studio, 1300 Bingham St., South Side, Saturday through Feb. 24. Times are: 7 p.m. Tuesdays; 1 and/or 7 p.m. Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 1, 5:30 and/or 9 p.m. Saturdays; and 2 or 7 p.m. Sundays. Opening-night performance on Jan. 25 is sold out. $29-$44 ($15 under age 30 and student and senior discounts); www.citytheatrecompany.org or 412-431-2489.