Teatro Cervantes in a different light

Last night "C" took me to Teatro Cervantes to watch her boyfriend play with one of his bands. Obviously I was excited to go see live music again and I dont think I will ever pass up the chance to see a performance at the Teatro Cervantes. They were playing there to benefit an organization that researches schizophrenia. It was really fun and very informal. After his band finished another band went on and the lead singer spoke to the audience in the balcony and encouraged them to come downstairs and fill up the empty seats. No one hesitated. In fact practically everyone except for "C" and I made a b-line for the stairs to get closer seats. I could not believe it. It was a very nice gesture on the artists part, but sadly for the eager audience members, they were turned away by the theater staff and had to come back up to their original spots. There was tons of dancing in the aisle ways and it felt more like a concert in a park than a fancy indoor theater. Very refreshing!

Argentina's River Dancers: Malambeando

Last night I revisited Teatro Cervantes with my mother to see "Argentina's River Dancers: Malambeando." It was exhilarating. Argentinian dance is centered around three movements: tango, milango, and malambo. I have seen several flamenco, tango and drumming performances before and this blew them all out of the water. I want to say it was "Fuerzabruta"/ "De La Guarda", + irish riverdancing + tango + the movie "Step up." There was drumming, tap dancing, tango, and they used this jump rope type thing with an object attached to it and whipped it against the floor in unison (I really don't know how else to describe it.) They were so in sync and it happened so quickly that the ropes made a halo-type formation around the dancers. Overall the performance was diverse in content, extremely energetic and fun. They are coming to New York in 2010! Check out this website if you are interested in learning more about them.

Teatro Cervantes

Last night Emily and I went to see La Cena De Los Generales at Teatro Cervantes. Teatro Cervantes is a big beautiful theater near Plaza de la Merced. In the play the Spanish Civil War has just ended and Franco has called for a celebratory dinner for the generals that have led him to victory. Lieutenant Medina is in charge of making sure that the dinner goes over perfectly. However, all of the kitchen staff is currently nonexistent or in jail due to their political beliefs. Since there is such a shortage of good cooks he decides to break them out of jail in order to guarantee a delicious meal for Franco. The entire play takes place in the kitchen as the cooks are slaving away preparing the meal.

After the meal is over Franco makes a surprise appearance in the kitchen and stares at the Spanish flag hanging above the kitchen door. He mutters something to his guards and leaves. The manager of the hotel asks the lieutenant what Franco said and he says, "He says the flag is slanted." "Did he say if he liked the food?" the manager asks. "He didn't say anything about the food," the lieutenant responds. The play is very humorous but also highlights the corrupt and militaristic rule of Franco. The director Miguel Narros says that, "we have a need to and our condemned to understand ourselves. We are in charge of reconstructing our coexistence, which is why the kitchen represents a devastated Spain that must be put back in order." I am really looking forward to seeing other productions at this theater!