El Diablo Made Him Do It

For many, portly symbols of the holidays conjure up images of St. Nick and Frosty. Not for James Garcia, New Carpa Theater’s founder and playwright, who’s added Joe Arpaio to the list with American Pastorela: The Saga of Sheriff Joe. James Rivas plays Sheriff Joke in the topical seasonal tale...

By Laura Hahnefeld

December 3, 2009

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18478561",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "16759093",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759092",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759094",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        }
      ]

For many, portly symbols of the holidays conjure up images of St. Nick and Frosty. Not for James Garcia, New Carpa Theater’s founder and playwright, who’s added Joe Arpaio to the list with American Pastorela: The Saga of Sheriff Joe.

James Rivas plays Sheriff Joke in the topical seasonal tale. “He’s got a nice, big gut,” says Garcia of Rivas, “and can do that gross John Wayne [voice] that Sheriff Joe does.”

Mixing satire with immigration issues, American Pastorela tells the tallish tale of the deal Arpaio strikes with the Devil following a fatal heart attack: his life in exchange for stopping the Hernandez family from getting to Bethlehem by way of the Phoenix Light Rail.

Ho ho . . . Joe?

Thursdays-Sundays. Starts: Dec. 4. Continues through Dec. 13, 2009

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.