• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • New York
  • Latin
  • Culture
  • Magazine
  • Things To Do in NYC
  • Travel
  • Subscribe
  • Sponsor
New York Latin Culture Magazine®

New York Latin Culture Magazine®

World-class Indigenous, European & African Culture since 2012

  • Art
  • Books
  • Dance
  • Fashion
  • Festivals
  • Film
  • Food
  • Music
  • Sports
  • Theatre

Julio Monge to play Tiresias in “Oedipus El Rey” at the Public Theater

Julio Monge is a Broadway actor, choreographer, and producer with a Puerto Rican heritage. He is known for his work with Jerome Robbins on West Side Story.

#JulioMonge

Julio Monge in Oedipus El Rey

Monge plays the blind prophet Tiresias in Oedipus El Rey, Luis Alfaro’s adaptation of Sophocles Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex.

Oedipus El Rey is at the Public Theater in the East Village Tuesday – Sunday, October 3 – November 19, 2017.

Julio Monge at the National Puerto Rican Day Parade

Julio Monge is being recognized as a Trailblazer in the Performing Arts by the National Puerto Rican Day Parade 2017.

We spoke with him at the parade gala.

Why is it an honor to be part of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade?

It is an honor because I am very, very proud of being Puerto Rican. Even after 31 years in New York, it doesn’t leave me. Nor do I want to leave it. It defines a lot of who I am. It’s my foundation. It’s part of what I offer. I’m here celebrating what everybody else in the community offers as well.

It’s a celebration of our achievements. It’s a celebration of our contributions, a reminder that we’ve been here, have paid our dues, and keep working. We are part of the fabric.

What is the best thing about being Puerto Rican?

The love. The love you feel from your people, from your grandmother to your niece, to your neighbors, to your teachers. There’s always that quality that we have. Even though we’ve gotten very fancy and sophisticated lately because of technology and access to a lot of things, there is still that sense of goodness and a big heart that characterizes the people of Puerto Rico.

I’m proud of that.

Julio Monge on West Side Story

West Side Story is a  legendary 1957 Broadway musical about the Puerto Rican community in the neighborhood that was redeveloped into Lincoln Center.

It has music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and choreography by Jerome Robbins. It’s incredible that these artists who were not Puerto Rican could understand the dreams and challenges of the community, and also that the core of those dreams and challenges remain true over half a century later.

Julio Monge explains Jerome Robbins’ choreography in West Side Story.


Published October 3, 2017 | Updated June 25, 2022.

Filed Under: LATIN THEATRE, People, Public Theater, Puerto Rican

Primary Sidebar

Colombian Salsa

Pablo Mayor Folklore Urbano NYC "El Barrio Project" (courtesy)

The Pablo Mayor Folklore Urbano Orchestra Plays Colombian Salsa for Uptown Nights at Harlem Stage

RISE Theatre Directory

Find your next project. Discover your next team. Do it on RISE. Find your next project. Discover your next team. Do it on RISE.

Things to Do in NYC

Things to do in NYC in September 2023

Things to do in NYC in October 2023

Things to do in NYC in November 2023

Things to do in NYC in December 2023

Footer

Search

Sponsor

New York City's leading cultural organizations sponsor New York Latin Culture Magazine™

Subscribe

Subscribe to New York Latin Culture Magazine's weekly email.

Follow

New York

Manhattan, The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island

Latin

Art, Books, Comedy, Dance, Fashion, Food, Festivals, Film, Music, Parades, Theatre, Sports

North American

African American, Belizian, Costa Rican, French Canadian, Guatemalan, Honduran, Indigenous, Jewish, Mexican, Nicaraguan, Panamanian, Salvadoran

Caribbean

Antiguan, Bahamanian, Barbadian, Cuban, Dominica, Dominican, Grenadian, Haitian, Indigenous, Jamaican, Jewish, Puerto Rican, Kittitian Nevisian, Saint Lucian, Trinidadian, Vincentian

South American

Argentine, Bolivian, Brazilian, Chilean, Colombian, Costa Rican, Ecuadorian, Guyanese, Indigenous, Jewish, Paraguayan, Peruvian Surinamese, Uruguayan, Venezuelan

European

French, Italian, Jewish, Portuguese, Spanish, Romanian

African

African American, Senegalese, Gambian, Bissau-Guinean, Sierra Leonean, Liberian, Ivorian, Ghanaian, Togolese, Beninese, Nigerian, Equatoguinean, São Toméan, Gabonese, Congolese, Angolan

Asian

Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Jewish, Romani

Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Cookies Policy

Copyright © 2012–2023 New York Latin Culture Magazine®. All Rights Reserved. New York Latin Culture Magazine® and Tango Beat® are registered trademarks, and New York Latin Culture™ is a trademark of Keith Widyolar. Other marks are the property of their respective holders.