Speak softly and carry a big shtick.  That's the mantra of
"American Night: The Ballad of Juan Jose," an outrageous
fantasia on U.S. history that leaves no hot button unpushed.
California Shakespeare Theater launches its summer with a bang
with this cheeky mashup of history, politics and satire.
Developed by the Latino theater collective Culture Clash and
written by Richard Montoya, "American Night" rewrites the
history books with a vengeance. The punchline is the thing in
this season opener.  Framed against a set of barbed wire, rusted
steel and graffiti (design by Erik Flatmo), the epic narrative
of the immigrant's journey gets juxtaposed with over-the-top pop
culture references and cheesy musical interludes (the Neil
Diamond homage is unforgettable). If the take-no-prisoners
satire doesn't catch fire as often as it should, "American
Night" is still a surreal road trip through the American
experience.  Savvily directed by Jonathan Moscone, this wild
romp through time and space spins around the underdog Jua