A marathon of musicals this autumn
The new production of Cabaret at the Victòria theatre is the season’s big crowd-puller yet many of Barcelona’s smaller venues have an extensive and varied line-up of musical treats
It’s a case of wall-to-wall musicals in Barcelona again this autumn, especially in the run-up to the Christmas period. While most of the shows are generally less extravagant than what we have become used to in recent times, the exception is Cabaret. This new production of the classic hit musical runs until December 3, although the run will more than likely be extended into February.
In the meantime, a number of other, more modest, musical productions will make an appearance, including Casi normales, throughout October at Sala Barts, which will be followed in December by Àngel Llàcer’s El petit príncep.
Among the larger theatres, Dirty Dancing returns to the Tívoli on December 6, while Daniel Anglès is back at Poblenou’s Casino de l’Aliança, after the success he had last year with his version of Rent. This year, Anglès has teamed up with Mariona Castillo in the musical, Fun Home, from January to March. Meanwhile, after La Cubana’s great success with Gente Bien last season, this year the Coliseum theatre offers us the spicy cabaret, The hole. Meanwhile, at the Borràs theatre, Grup Balañá returns with Opera for kids.
While we still haven’t heard anything further, artistic director of the Apolo theatre, Ricard Reguant, hinted before the summer that a musical with a budget of 800,000 euros was in production, with Gisela in the lead role. According to Reguant, the plan would be for the musical to run from December until June next year. One to keep an eye out for.
However, without doubt the big musical of the season is cabaret, and in fact the last time it was seen in Barcelona was in the Apolo theatre, in 2007/2008. This time round it is on at the Victòria theatre, with Elena Gadel and Ivan Labanda in the lead roles. Heavily influenced by the Liza Minnelli film version of the Broadway musical, Cabaret, which is directed by David Pintó, will be the musical with the most tickets on sale in Barcelona this season: a whopping 150,000.
Small but varied
Yet if it is variety and originality you are looking for, the best places to look are the small venues, which opt for productions that keep things simple in terms of presentation, foregoing the spectacular in favour of creating a more intimate connection with the audience. Some examples are La Seca (Àries de reservat in December, and Rèquiem for Evita in May), the Maldà theatre (Nine, directed by David Pintó, from Dec 11, then Quin desencís m’ha fet tan negre i trist in February and Aquests 5 anys, in May), the Sala Muntaner (Cobi, Curro y Naranjito, from Dec 20), and the Almeria theatre (Paquito Forever and Autónomos, el musical, both on now). Meanwhile, a new season of the SInging Talent Show is currently on at the Teatre Gaudí, until October 29.
Finally, a musical with a curious history is worth a mention. A couple of years ago, various local cultural organisations in the Barcelona neighbourhood of Gràcia got 200 actors together from amateur theatre groups for a production of Joan Lafarga’s novel, El rellotger de Gràcia. Thanks to the success of that initiative, director Enric Sunyol decided to make a musical version, in Gràcia’s Teatre-Auditori Sala Montseny.
The play uses music by the likes of Lluís Llach, Els Pets and Sau, choosing songs that fit in with the play’s subject matter, such as Bon dia, País petit, Si em dius adéu and Més lluny.
