At eight years old, playwright and actor Christopher Rivas wanted to be an assassin. NERF guns strapped to his hips, Rivas jumped, tucked, and rolled around the living room in his underwear, mimicking his hero: Pierce Brosnan-era James Bond. Bond’s playboy, jet-setting lifestyle of high stakes and adventure captivated Rivas’s imagination.
Rivas, who was born in Queens, N.Y. to a Dominican father and Colombian mother, envisioned himself as a “Brown Bond,” circling the globe in a tailored suit and sports car, with a Walther PPK at the ready and a new woman on his arm every night.
It wasn’t until adulthood that the L.A.-based performer discovered that the inspiration behind the iconic Ian Fleming character was a Dominican man named Porfirio Rubirosa.
“To say my life changed is an understatement,” Rivas says. “I saw so much of myself in him.”
Rivas says he began reexamining everything he knew about 007 through a cultural lens that matched his own, eventually leading to the creation of The Real James Bond…Was Dominican, an original one-man show premiering at City Theatre.
A press release describes The Real James Bond…Was Dominican, staging Fri., Jan. 24-Sun., Feb., 16, as “a young man’s guide to love, color, code-switching, white-washing, fake-it-til-you-make-it, and the roller coaster of finding one’s true self.” Written and performed by Rivas, it was developed with director Daniel Banks and the DNAWORKS social justice artistic collective.
Upon learning about the existence of Rubirosa — a diplomat, race car driver, polo player, assassin, and storied womanizer who died in 1965 — Rivas says he was instantly enraptured with this newfound piece of his cultural history and wondered how his life would have been had James Bond been more accurately portrayed.
“What if the character I loved so much looked like me?” Rivas asks.
The 70-minute show follows Rivas as he delves into and dismantles the beliefs James Bond taught him as a child. He says he aims to create a sense of belonging with every audience he encounters.
Still, Rivas grappled with the realization that the subject of his childhood admiration did not age well. He says Bond and, by proxy, Rubirosa uphold archaic gender roles and antiquated notions of self-importance. Rivas views the show as daring audiences to ask “fat questions” about the figures modern society praises as heroes.
“James Bond is the shiny thing to bring people deeper into the conversation on identity, self-worth, and masculinity,” Rivas says.
Clare Drobot, City Theater’s co-artistic director, describes Rivas’ work as “visceral, honest, and educational,” adding “that type of work excites and inspires our team.”
Monteze Freeland, City Theatre’s outgoing co-artistic director, believes The Real James Bond…Was Dominican reflects City Theatre’s values
“At City (Theatre), we know how much representation can matter and we’re proud to have this show on stage and invite audiences into conversations about the universality of the need to explore our own identities and see them recognized,” he says.
City Theatre and DNAWORKS will encourage those conversations by hosting several complementary community-building partnerships, including collaborations with the City of Asylum, 1Hood Media, and Vibrant Pittsburgh, as well as a free talk on Wed., Feb. 12 by The World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh at the Latin American Cultural Center.
At select performances, audiences are invited to participate in post-performance story circles, designed to facilitate “communal conversation about connections and personal stories that the production evokes.”
He says the show is for “anyone who wants to ask bigger questions about their life.”
“It is for the curious and the stuck,” Rivas says. “I hope for people who need to reclaim their story, it’s time for them to take up space.”
The Real James Bond Was…Dominican. Sat., Jan. 18-Sun., Feb. 16. City Theatre. 1300 Bingham St., South Side. Tickets start at $35. citytheatrecompany.org
This article appears in Jan 15-21, 2025.
