It is loosely based on the killing of Judge John H. Wood Jr. by Jamiel Chagra and his brother that also occurred during the 1980s in El Paso.
Unfolding over three acts, the play centers on the life of one of three Chicano lawyer brothers initially struggling with maintaining his morals and ethics, and eventually succumbing to the needs of family as well his own desires.
The play begins as young Tomas Santos returns to his hometown in El Paso after spending some time working as a San Diego district attorney.
Recruited by a federal judge, Tomas becomes an undercover informer tasked with spying on his brothers’ illegal drug trafficking business, foolishly thinking he’ll be able to save the family.
He is then faced with the chance of redeeming himself at the cost of committing another horrible act; murdering the presiding judge assigned to his brother’s trial.
The play explores the theme of second-generation Mexican-Americans struggling in an uphill battle in the land of unequal opportunity, and Solis sometimes spells this out using murky dramaturgical strategies while also masterfully utilizing metaphorical language.
After much struggle, Solis finally got his play its first unofficial debut in 1993 at the commodious Theater Artaud, otherwise known as The Theatre of Cruelty, as an unfinished work-in-progress.
Solis used the talent of songwriter Tito Larriva to create music which included magnificent excerpts from composer David Conte’s string-based score used in the play’s original debut in 1993.