It may be the hottest ticket in local drama and best of all it’s free. The catch, however, is you need to do a little homework if you want to thoroughly enjoy the show.
On Monday the Sweetwater Union High School District board of directors will hold their monthly public meeting at Hilltop High School.
The dramatic thriller takes place roughly a month after a majority of their homes were raided and two of them — Pearl Quinones and Arlie Ricasa — were subsequently indicted by District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis’ Public Integrity Unit.
Also starring (but not appearing Monday) in the melodrama are former superintendent Jesus Gandara, former board member Greg Sandoval and businessman Henry Amigable.
Set against the backdrop of a never-ending recession and dreams of money and power, the Sweetwater Tango tells the story of a contractor who allegedly wined and wooed starry-eyed board members in the hopes of landing multimillion-dollar contracts.
Faced with accusations of corruption by the region’s top law enforcement officer (who lives with her own ambition for more power), the accused will decide Monday if taxpayers will foot the bill for their legal defense.
Rumored to be making an appearance as “angry mob” are dozens of parents and former school teachers who for years have been clamoring for officials’ heads on platters: so much so that some worked behind the scenes to orchestrate the takedown.
Reprising his role as jovial and wise superintendent is Ed Brand who, like Michael Corleone in “Godfather III,” was sucked back into the rough and tumble world of politics and corruption. Brand has one man to thank for his return to the stage —John McCann.
McCann — whose most recent and memorable role was that of incensed military hero defending the school district’s children — asked Brand to return after he and the other board members ousted Gandara to appease the masses.
But little did McCann and Brand know that a commissioned report — rumored to cast the school board in an even more unflattering light — might come between them, as both are at odds over its release to the public.
Sweetwater Tango might not be the most original storyline to hit the marquee, but it’s an age- old story that’s worth catching.
The meeting starts at 6:30 but get their early as seating is limited to a few hundred.
