'Zapata' at Zach Theater turns cultural identity into a superpower
Lucero Garcia plays 16-year-old Xochitl, who seeks to honor her cultural legacy, in "Zapata" at Zach Theater. (Axel Buecker/Zach Theater)
The premise of "Zapata: A Folklórico Superhero Musical," which plays Zach Theater through April 26, starts out in familiar territory.
Sixteen-year-old Xochitl daydreams of life as a folklórico dancer. Yet her successful, assimilated and loving mother wants her to fit in and get ahead.
After just a few scenes, the lively musical, written primarily for young audiences by West Coast composer, lyricist and playwright Jessie J. Sanchez, goes a little haywire.
In a good way.
Villains, including a cat army, kidnap Xochitl's mother and hold her captive. The teenager discovers a family secret: She wields the power of Zapata, a superhero force.
Accompanied by her talking chihuahua sidekick, Xochitl embarks on a quest that mixes tradition with magic and a whole lot of singing and dancing.
All the theatrical elements come together in a fresh mélange of styles and themes.
We wondered how Sanchez dreamed up this 70-minute adventure, which Zach has helped nurture through several stages of development.
What drew you to the Mexican superhero thread? And why did that become the main narrative vehicle for the story of a Mexican American girl trying to recover her family's cultural identity?
West Coast playwright, composer and lyricist Jessie J. Sanchez developed "Zapata" for Zach Theater in Austin. (Zach Theater)
Jessie Sanchez: My family heritage is Mexican, and I've always felt a responsibility and desire to see Mexican, Mexican American and Chicano musicals fully realized onstage. When Zach Theater commissioned this piece, it felt like the right moment to center a Latine family in a way that felt expansive and empowering.
For so long, assimilation has been treated as the defining part of the American experience. I wanted to push back on that idea and offer a perspective where culture isn't something you leave behind, but it's actually the source of your strength.
In "Zapata," cultural identity becomes the superpower. It's what grounds you, connects you, and gives you the ability to move forward.
At a time when communities are often misrepresented or villainized, it felt important to tell a story where our culture is celebrated as something powerful and heroic.
While we are on the subject, why are the superhero powers named 'Zapata'?
The name "Zapata" is a direct nod to Emiliano Zapata, a key figure in the Mexican Revolution who fought for land and rights for the people. In the world of the musical, Zapata becomes a mythic superhero figure that emerges in response to colonization and injustice.
While the mythology in the show is fictional, it's rooted in real history and cultural memory, reimagined through a superhero lens and baile folklórico tradition.
Even though the tone is mostly light, intended for children, there's a sense of darkness and danger to it. Could that be related to our current historical moment regarding immigration and assimilation?
All the theatrical elements come together for a fresh mix of cultural themes in "Zapata." (Axel Buecker/Zach Theater)
I've always been fascinated by the 1883 version of "The Adventures of Pinocchio." When Guillermo Del Toro reimagined "The Adventures of Pinocchio," I was struck by how he honored the story's heart while also foregrounding the historical and systemic injustices surrounding it.
It made the story feel urgent and contemporary. That's my jam.
That approach really stayed with me. With "Zapata," I wanted to create something that operates as a superhero story on the surface, that's accessible, imaginative and for all ages, but also grounded in real tensions around immigration, identity and assimilation.
Stories like Mulan and Pocahontas also live in that space, where larger-than-life narratives intersect with complicated histories.
So yes, the sense of danger in the piece absolutely reflects our current moment. I don't think you can separate art from the world it's created in. Like Shakespeare, I believe storytelling is inherently political. Even when it's entertaining, it's still in conversation with power, identity and who gets to belong.
In the end, "Zapata" asks a simple but urgent question, "What if we led with love and curiosity instead of fear and power?"
Has Zach Theater been part of the development of this material from the beginning? How did that come about? Where do you think it is going next?
You won't forget the talking chihuahua sidekick played by Zaid Ricarte in "Zapata." (Axel Buecker/Zach Theater)
Yes, Zach Theater has been a key partner from the very beginning. A few years ago, playwright and professor José Casas approached me about joining the BIPOC Superhero Project, an initiative designed to commission writers to create new superhero stories for young audiences, centered on BIPOC communities.
I was then connected with Nat Miller at Zach, and we immediately aligned. We talked a lot about the audiences Zach serves and the importance of telling a bilingual, Latine-centered story. Beyond some basic parameters, the creative vision was entirely mine, which is a rare and meaningful kind of freedom to be given as a writer.
Since then, "Zapata" has been primarily developed and workshopped at Zach. Along the way, the piece has also been supported by organizations like the Austin Latinx New Play Festival, The Orchard Project, National Alliance for Musical Theatre, Live & In Color and Milagro Theatre. New musicals take a village, and this one has had an incredible community behind it.
What's next? I'd love to see this show have a life at theaters across the country. It's designed to be accessible and producible, while still offering something meaningful and theatrical. I'm also interested in expanding the piece because there's a deeper well to explore with these characters and this world. And of course, I think it has strong potential for larger stages, including Off-Broadway and beyond, especially the commercial quality of the music and production.
What roles do the many songs play?
For me, every musical score I write is like a playlist on Apple Music. It's the kinds of sounds and styles these characters would actually be listening to in their daily lives. As Stephen Sondheim famously said, "content dictates style," so it felt natural to weave in cumbia, mariachi and other Latine musical forms alongside traditional musical theater to enhance and support the storytelling.
The songs serve multiple functions. Some actively drive the plot forward, while others deepen our understanding of the characters such as their desires, their fears, and who they are at their core. There are moments that honor classic musical theater structure, but I also intentionally play with form to expand what the genre can sound like and feel like.
I also use recurring musical motifs for different characters, and the superhero elements have their own sonic language. Those themes are strategically placed throughout the piece such as in the underscore, transitions and especially in the larger action and battle sequences. The music is constantly shaping how we experience the story.
The morning that I saw it, youngsters in the audience were entranced. One girl on the front row sang and danced along the entire time. Zapata hits some chord with kids this age, right?
Absolutely! That's been one of the most rewarding parts of this process. The show clearly resonates with young audiences and they see themselves in it. They connect to the music and the language and they lean all the way in. But it doesn't stop there.
What's been really special is seeing how it reaches across generations. Adults of all ages, including abuelas and abuelos, are just as engaged, especially through the music and cultural touchpoints. It creates a shared experience where families are connecting to the story together, much like a Disney or Pixar movie.
And honestly, the response has spoken for itself. The sold-out run of the public shows has been driven largely by word of mouth - and great marketing - which tells me the show is striking a real chord with Austin.
