“The Stabbiest Mexican,” a one-act musical comedy written in June 2003 by Aprille Clarke, is a fictionalized account of the post-conviction life of serial killer Richard Ramirez. It focuses on his relationship with his wife, Doreen Lioy, whom he married while an inmate at San Quentin Penitentiary. The play examines racial and ethnic stereotyping

“The Stabbiest Mexican,” a one-act musical comedy written in June 2003 by Aprille Clarke, is a fictionalized account of the post-conviction life of serial killer Richard Ramirez. It focuses on his relationship with his wife, Doreen Lioy, whom he married while an inmate at San Quentin Penitentiary. The play examines racial and ethnic stereotyping and the scaling nature of violence. Aprille wrote the play while listening to King Toad’s album “Down with the Ship” and found that several of the songs meshed well with the content of the play. As Jamal wrote in description of the album, “[I]t’s a fun kind of angry, a fun kind of dead.”

Jamal reworked Aprille’s selections and provided the acoustic tracks here for her to adapt for the stage. For the performance, which was held at Public Space One in Iowa City in the summer of 2003, Jamal and bass player Kyle Gassiott accompanied the actors live. “The Stabbiest Mexican” remains one of Aprille’s favorite artistic collaborations, largely because of Jamal’s inspired and inspiring music and generous nature. It was a fun kind of angry, a fun kind of dead. -Aprille Clark