FRONT & CENTER
Jonathan Rosenbergâs second act By Mala Blomquist
ÂĄAmericano!
When: Through Feb. 23; Tues.-Sat. at 7:30 pm Sat.-Sun. 2 pm Where: Phoenix Theatre 1825 N. Central Ave., Phoenix Tickets information phoenixtheatre.com
44 FEBRUARY 2020 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE
J
onathan Rosenberg has always been involved in the music industry in one form or another. He has worked as a disc jockey, lead singer in a band and has written and composed music, but it always took a back seat âbecause he had to earn a living,â which he did as a special education teacher and administrator. He had been doing some work as a playwright when he was struck with the idea behind his current work âÂĄAmericano!â playing at the Phoenix Theatre through Feb. 23. Jonathan was waiting to pick up his daughter from high school and was listening to NPR on the car radio. It was the fall of 2016, and Antonio âTonyâ Valdovinos was part of a round-table discussion about undocumented immigrants. âI was really impressed with his story, so I looked him up on the internet,â remembers Jonathan. âI thought, âOh wow, this is a story that needs to be told,â about a guy who keeps getting beat down and keeps getting back up on his feet.â Jonathan had made some prior connections in Phoenix, and through them, he was able to get Tonyâs contact information. He told Tony that he would like to
