THE THIRD DEATH OF PANCHO LaGUARDIA

FINDING OUT WHO YOU REALLY ARE SOMETIMES MEANS PLAYING SOMEONE YOU AREN’T.

THE THIRD DEATH OF PANCHO LaGUARDIA is the second short musical written entirely by Andrew Esquer. At the turn of the 20th century in a small town in Mexico, the infamous bandit Pancho LaGuardia terrorizes the lands with reckless abandon, emboldened by a curse that prevents him from dying unless killed in the sight of his one true love. But all is not as it seems with Pancho, so when rival bandit El Malo plots to end his life for good, a showdown in the town square becomes a moment of truth for Pancho, as well as a fight to save his life and the life of his loved ones. THE THIRD DEATH OF PANCHO LaGUARDIA was originally written as a submission for Fresno City College’s TEASERS series of student-created, student-run short plays.

The musical is admittedly an ambitious endeavor for a short musical, requiring seven actors, four of whom are also trained musicians able to portray a mariachi greek chorus, among other characters. For the most clarity regarding these character changes, it may be best to follow along with the script and/or score, linked below.

This recording represents a work in progress, both in terms of the recording itself and the work it depicts. It has been posted as the final submission for Music 507 at San Diego State University/SDSU's semester-end composition festival, the Electronic Music Marathon, changed to a completely online format in May 2020 in light of COVID-19 quarantine.

Read along with the “podcast” recording using the buttons to the left.