Milagro takes on mythos

Friday, January 11, 2008 The Oregonian

The New York Times has called him "elusive and charismatic" and "the rebel leader who made wearing a black ski mask sexy." He's been interviewed by MTV and Oliver Stone, and championed by world-pop star Manu Chao. He is prone to lofty pronouncements such as, "The people who are the color of the Earth will never again be forgotten." He has written children's literature and detective fiction, and he's also led an armed uprising.

Who is this real-life international man of mystery? The Mexican government alleges that he is a former university professor named Rafael Guillen. But the world knows him as Subcomandante Marcos of Mexico's leftist Zapatista National Liberation Army, the armed guerrillas/grass-roots organizers who in 1994 took over portions of the southern state of Chiapas.

In any case, he is the subject of "Zapatista," a new bilingual play by Teatro Milagro artistic director Danel Malan exploring the myth, the man and the campaign for the rights of the indigenous poor. The show's run ends with a community forum on Latino social activism following the Jan. 19 matinee, then Teatro Milagro takes the production on a national tour February through November.

Opens 8 p.m. Friday, continues 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sunday, through Jan. 19, Milagro Theatre, 525 S.E. Stark St.; $15-$20; www.milagro.org, 503-236-7253.

-- Marty Hughley