Does the name “Larry Itliong” ring a bell? Although I grew up in California and am the proud child of Filipino immigrants, I did not come across Itliong’s legacy until after college. Writer Gayle Romasanta, composer Bryan Pangilinan, and director Billy Bustamante want to change that with “Larry The Musical: An American Journey,” which runs at the Brava Theater in San Francisco from March 16-April 14, 2024.
Itliong is most famous for gaining the solidarity of labor organizers Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta during the 1965-70 Delano Grape Strikes. More than that, from the moment he immigrated to the United States to the day he retired from the United Farm Workers, he was joining strikes and organizing Filipinos across the West Coast for over four decades, becoming a leading manong, or elder, of the movement. Because of the work of Itliong and compatriots like Chris Mensalvas, Filipino farmworkers in the 20th century were skilled strategists and negotiators for workers’ rights.
Romasanta co-authored the children’s book “Journey for Justice: The Life of Larry Itliong” with historian Dawn Bohulano Mabalon. Together with a talented predominantly Pinoy team (only the second since the controversial production “Here Lies Love”), she’s bringing the story of Seven Fingers, as Itliong was known, to life through performance and — since we are talking Filipinos here — song.
The two-hour production is a portrait of Itliong’s life from the perspective of an elder Larry (played by Eymard Meneses Cabling) looking back on his journey and narrating to Dawn (played by Jocelyn “Jojo” Thompson-Jordan), who is supposedly doing research for his biography. The play begins with Larry expressing his desire to move to the United States for opportunities (the historical figure immigrated at 15 years old in 1939) and, at a relatively brisk pace, gets through pivotal moments and strikes during his 40 years as an organizer.
Love, humor, and struggle anchor the…
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