'White Tie' explores multiethnic identity

"The play is loosely inspired by my own relationship with my brother," the 25-year-old playwright said in a phone interview from Chicago.

"It's about a multiethnic family and two siblings who express themselves in different ways."

That's a simplified version of the play, which Borderlands Theater opens in a world premiere today.

The story centers on two brothers, one who is easily identified as Latino, another who isn't, and the moral and emotional dilemmas they find themselves in.

"It's partly about two brothers at such different places in life, and two brothers who are wrestling with their identity and appearance, and how they act and behave," said Zimmerman.

Zimmerman is fair and is rarely identified as Hispanic. His brother, on the other hand, looks more Latino.

"I always had to demonstrate my identity," says Zimmerman. "You can't help lacking when you don't look like what you are.

"At the same time, my brother speaks of himself as someone who's not attractive. That really fascinates me - that appearance informs the way we behave."

In "White Tie," the darker brother, Edward, is an attorney with a bright political future ahead of him. He knows that politics are key to his effecting change.

The lighter brother, Beto, got caught up in gangs and is just getting out of prison.

The two have had a combative relationship for years.

But a relative with a record can be a serious liability to a candidate, so Edward decides the wisest thing to do is turn Beto into an asset by bringing him on the campaign trail with him to demonstrate that crime doesn't pay but that rehabilitation is possible. Beto goes along with the strategy.

This tale of two brothers is loaded with suspense, laced with questions of morality, and travels the often-rocky road of sibling love - and hate.

And it's set in the Old Pueblo.

Zimmerman was living in Austin, Texas, when he wrote this and had never been to Tucson. Still, it seemed like the perfect place to set the play.

"It was kind of naive to write about a place I'd never been to," says Zimmerman. "But you can write effectively where you are writing about something with a familiar connection but are a foreigner to that place."

Though it's fun to see familiar landmarks pop up in the script, this isn't a story so much about place as it is about family, politics and the nature of ethics.

"I feel the play is an attempt to show that too often political decisions are deeply personal," explains Zimmerman.

It's also about compromise, added Barclay Goldsmith, Borderlands founder and director of this production.

"When you go into political life, where do you compromise to serve your family, where do you compromise to work for the larger community, and what are those larger conflicts?" says Goldsmith.

"Politically right now because of all the legislation and the backlash against immigration, there is an underlying tension in the state socially that really heightens these conflicts."

If you go

"White Tie Ball"

• Presented by: Borderlands Theater.

• Playwright: Martin Zimmerman.

• Director: Barclay Goldsmith.

• When: 7:30 p.m. today (opening) and next Friday; 2. p.m. Sunday. Performances continue through May 22. No performance Saturday.

• Where: Cabaret Theatre at the Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave.

• Cost: $22 for today's opening; $19.75 for other performances. Discounts available.

• Reservations/information: 882-7406 or boxoffice@borderlandstheater.org

• Running time: About 90 minutes, with one intermission.

• Cast: Julian Martinez, Roxanne Harley, Mario Tineo and Brian Taraz.

• Etcetera: "White Tie Ball" was the winner of the 2010 Smith Prize, given to a play that focuses on American politics, and asks who we are as Americans and what our responsibilities are.

Contact reporter Kathleen Allen at kallen@azstarnet.com or 573-4128.