Center Theatre Group Founding Artistic Director Gordon Davidson had asked Valdez to consider writing a play that would reflect the history of Los Angeles. Valdez was already intrigued by the story of the 1942 Sleepy Lagoon murder case and the zoot suit riots, as well as by a pachuco character. In 1977, Davidson commissioned Zoot Suit for the Taper.
Full Answer
A zoot suit is a suit with broad shoulders and a high waist. The jacket is long, with wide lapels, and the wide pants are pegged at the ankles. Zoot suits were worn by young American minority working-class men in the early 1940s.
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