ALICANTE MAIN THEATER
***
related to Miguel Delibes
Adaptation: Fernando Marías and Javier Hernández-Simón (manager)
Set in a 1960s Franco regime, this social and rural drama travels to a modest farmhouse in Extremadura where a tenant family tries to endure the squeeze of a landlord who wields sacrifice as a tool of control. The tension of a life shaped by birthright unfolds through the choices and limitations imposed on characters who lack the power to change their fate. The story’s core—social class, obedience, and the quiet, stubborn longing for a different horizon—remains a powerful thread across generations.
It may feel rooted in yesterday, yet the echoes linger. Exploring the past becomes a way to examine the present, and audiences are invited to draw their own conclusions about the material whether or not they have engaged with the original novel or its cinematic adaptation. This stage version of Los Santos Inocentes brings the classic pages to life, faithfully directed by Fernando Marías and Javier Hernández-Simón, while honoring the novel’s essential themes and scenes.
Javier Gutiérrez’s performance underscores the breadth of expression possible within film, theatre, and television, showing the ability to inhabit varied psychological landscapes as the role demands. Pepa Pedroche delivers a measured portrayl as a partner whose steady presence anchors the ensemble. Jacobo Dicenta emerges as a commanding authority figure, anchoring the drama with an aura of inevitability. Luis Bermejo embodies a character whose free spirit resists surrender, a contrast that fuels the stage’s emotional dynamics. The cast also features Yune Nogueiras, José Fernández, Fernando Huesca, Raquel Varela, and Marta Gómez, each contributing the nuance and balance required by the production’s emotional and spatial dramaturgy.
The narrative arc culminates in a moment that sharpens the play’s critique of injustice—humiliation, the weight of social hierarchy, and a fateful act that reshapes the characters’ lives. The scenic design by Ricardo Sánchez and the lighting by Gómez-Cornejo reinforce the work’s poetic message, blending realism with symbolic touches to deepen the audience’s engagement. The overall aesthetic—an interplay of tangible detail and symbolic suggestion—helps convey the drama’s gravity in a production that resonated strongly with Alicante’s audiences and beyond [Citation: original literary work and stage adaptation references].
In this interpretation, the interplay of character, setting, and metaphor invites viewers to reflect on the persistence of social inequities and the human longing for dignity. The production leverages a careful balance of performance intensity and reserved composition to create a stage experience that lingers long after the final bow. While rooted in a specific historical moment, the themes remain universal: the cost of obedience, the courage to dream, and the enduring question of what it means to live with honor under pressure.