ALICANTE MAIN THEATER
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Producing: Varela Productions. Stage coordination: Mario Gas
Paying tribute to the brilliant personality of the actor, playwright, stage director and writer Adolfo Marsillach, this production is staged, revealing, among others, some timeless verses from the 16th and 17th centuries and mischievous or lyrical themes of various writers.
It’s an elegant, dramatized reading that uses good vocal projection from Natalia Millán and Blanca Marsillach, each of whom, leaning on a lectern, presses a measured rhythm and the necessary nuances. No. It’s not a commonly used recital. His perspective towards and among the audience is friendly and determined.
This is “A Night with the Classics”, made in 1996 with Adolfo, María Jesús Valdés and Amparo Rivelles, who conducted the poetry selection. The complicity of this extraordinary trio is now transferred to the good connection of the acting duo under the direction of Mario Gas, presenting a poetic language with the musicality of the words and the tone of sincerity.
“Why did Perico kiss me?”, an anonymous poem from 15th-century ballads and songbooks. or “I want to sleep and I can’t” (without mentioning the authors or titles) are circulated. From Góngora: “Easter is over, girls!” Satirical sayings such as “The strong gentleman is Don Dinero”, “Scorching ice, frozen fire…” and the sarcasm dedicated to Luis de Góngora in Quevedo’s “A una noche”.
The voices of the two intertwine or merge with another hero, the beloved Adolfo Marsillach, albeit in the video. Some variations break the routine. And there’s “This is love” by Lope and “This afternoon, my beautiful, when I talk to you…” by Sor Juana Inés. “Dark Night of the Soul” is the work of St. John of the Cross. “I live without living in myself” by Saint Teresa or “La boca” and “Elegía por Ramón Sijé” by Miguel Hernández.
Highlights include Juan Carlos Mulder’s original score and a mellow atmosphere that welcomes irony, spiritual beauty, and existential problems. “So far, so close.” Adolfo the Great is at the 7th Alicante International Classical Theater Festival.