Reviews of performances (whether cultural or staged) from places like Spain (2017), Cuba (2017), Mexico (2011, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2024), Guatemala (2013), and here in the USA.
Gloria and I made our way back to Guanajuato for some unfinished business. We finally were able to make it to the State Archive of Guanajuato to do some research, which proved to be very helpful in terms of biographical information. This was also the opening week for the International Cervantes Festival, where for a couple of weeks they hold performances of many kinds (opera, theatre, musicals, dance, street spectacles, etc.) in the various venues around Guanajuato. To be honest, Guanajuato is our favorite place in Mexico, and we really wish we could have come here to study. It's like night and day compared to Guadalajara in terms of like-ability. So after we did some more research we were able to get two tickets to a very special performance of Uncle Vanya, an Anton Chekhov play. Anton Chekhov is from Russia and considered to be one of the revolutionary playwrights who brought theatre into the modern age. I remember in my theatre classes we discussed his revolutionary play The Sea Gull that was a disaster at first but became later one of the most celebrated plays because of the change in acting techniques (Stanislavsky-esque Acting).
It was honestly a miracle we were able to make it because Ticketmaster was very difficult with us. We went to the Teatro Principal, one of the main venues in Guanajuato.
It's really more of a white-ish/green look. This picture is obviously edited. Unfortunately the only pictures we took were on the inside. Like these:
This is the stage at the beginning. They put bales of hay on a hanging platform of tubes. These were hanging throughout the entire performance to give the appearance of a farm-atmosphere, if not to show that they lived in a barn.
Here's a closer look at their scenic design. Very creative.
Since they spoke in their native tongue (Russian) there were super titles in Spanish. It was a privilege to hear Chekhov in his own language.
Here's an interior shot where the audience comes in at the bottom.
It looks like a normal, small theater. Just like any other typical theater in the United States.
Now, may I talk about their acting. Powerful!!! You felt like you just left Guanajuato and spent a few hours with Russians back in Russia. The acting was sincere and creative. It appears as if this play follows the neo-classical rules to a certain extent: the play takes place in one room and the time appears to move almost as fast as it takes to perform the play, without anything but serious and real matters brought forth. There was a fantastic scenic technique they employed for the rain. At the back of the stage there were two patio doors. Behind the stage, above these doors they employed a system that actually rained, so when the daughter goes outside, she actually comes back in wet. Obviously there must have been something underneath collecting the water. That was one scenic design that stood out, besides the bales of hay that gradually descended after the final word.
This is how the stage looks at the end. After the daughter, Sonia, played by Elena Kalinina, finished her heartfelt speech about how they would find solace in God even through their despair. The final speech is more of a desperate plea convincing herself that God will help them rather than truly finding solace in the God they believe. At least that's how I interpreted the tragic ending.
The story of Uncle Vanya revolves around a Russian family wrought with financial problems. The main woman, the wife of the ex-professor, falls in love, or is more enticed, by two others, Uncle Vanya and the doctor. Also, Sonya, a daughter, is looking for love as well, but believes no man will ever love her, and by the end, it looks as if she's right. The whole play is tragic, with the ending a very gut-wrenching plea that God will save them from their misery.
I don't quite understand why the bales of hay were lowered around the actors at the end.
It was a unique experience and a surprise for me that the play was in Spanish. The International Cervantes Festival holds special performances like these each year as they invite countries to visit Guanajuato and present theatrical productions. What I find terribly sad is that I had never heard of this festival before. It's an international affair and it's been held for years. I believe this year is the 39th year. They invited countries like Finland, Norway, and Denmark as their guests of honor, amid other countries represented, such as this Russian company. We witnessed a jazz ensemble one evening for free from Stockholm, Sweden.
It was a wonderful experience. Guanajuato is a very cultured city full of theater and history. It stands out, at least for me, from Guadalajara in the sense that it is a cleaner, safer, more beautiful city. Mexico has some diamonds in the rough, and Guanajuato is one of them. We will miss this city when we leave more than any other that we were able to visit so far.
For Mexico's Independence Day on the 16th of September, 2011, Gloria and I went to Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico. Guanajuato is a unique experience, given that this small city is kept small due to its very European city planning (small roads, small intersecting alleys between houses). The old city charm is maintained which makes Guanajuato a "must-see" when someone visits Mexico. I went mostly because it was the 1 out of 2 weekends that the Tec de Monterrey lets us have a Friday or a Monday off. This time it was a Friday. Ibarguengoitia, who I'm researching, has his remains in Guanajuato, inside the Parque Florencio Antillon, located right next to the Presa de la Olla. We absolutely enjoyed our experience in this charming city.
Let me fill you in on a Mexican tradition that dates back to 1810 when Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a father in the Catholic Church, initiated the uprising that would eventually fail in its immediate outcome but would spark the fire for insurgency among crioles and natives of Mexican and Central American territory. Just look at the dates of independence for the latin american countries in these regions: Guatemala-1821, El Salvador-1821, and Panama-1821, just to name a few that seceeded from Spain's monarchical rule. Hidalgo plays a very important role in Mexican history, being named the "El Padre de la Patria," (Father of the Homeland).
History tells us that after the October Revolution was found out by a series of betrayals, Hidalgo felt the need to push his insurgency to rise in September. He went into the church in Dolores Hidalgo and rallied the community together to begin the insurgency. He then went to Atotonilco and took down a picture of the Virgin and put it on a staff (much like Moroni's "Title of Libery"-see Book of Mormon) and gave historic shouts. What he actually said is not known today, but according to The Course of Mexican History it went along these lines-"My children: a new dispensation comes to us today. Will you receive it? Will you free yourselves? Will you recover the lands stolen by three hundred years ago from your forefathers by the hated Spaniards? We must act at once… Will you defend your religion and your rights as true patriots? Long live our Lady of Guadalupe! Death to bad government! Death to the gachupines!'" The "gachupines" are Peninsulares, or Spaniards born in Spain but living in "Nueva Espana."
Today the Grito goes a little something like this:
Mexicans!
Long live the heroes that gave us the Fatherland!
Long live Hidalgo!
Long live Morelos!
Love live Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez!
Long live Allende!
Long live Aldama and Matamoros!
Long live National Independence!
Long Live Mexico! Long Live Mexico! Long Live Mexico!
At the end of each exclamation mark the crowd shouts "viva." This is a national tradition that unites Mexicans to their history. The night Gloria and I arrived in Guanajuato was the 16th of September, 2011. After making our way to the hotel Real de Minas and getting somewhat settled, we headed to the Alondiga de Granaditas. This is another historic building where Hidalgo's company stormed in and killed every single Spaniard alive: men, women, and children. It was extremely brutal what they did in retaliation to the Spaniards. For me, killing innocents not involved in politics that kept the majority in slavery in Nueva Espana makes me not consider Hidalgo as such a heroic figure, but nonetheless he did spark the uprising that eventually made Mexico an independent country. In one of my literature classes here at the Tec de Monterrey we had to read the book Los Pasos de Lopez by Jorge Ibarguengoitia. I absolutely loved the novel. Ibarguengoitia paints Hidalgo and the other conspirators of the insurgency as normal people, with traits that make them human and therefore fallable. He wanted to demystify the legends of untouchable heroes in Mexico. So, when we arrived in Guanajuato my perception of Hidalgo was very different than a national hero, he was a person just like anyone else, with interests and shortcomings-who performed something extraordinary.
We arrived at the main plaza around 10:50 PM, ten minutes before the "Grito" began.
We made our way towards the actual Alondiga de Granaditas. And then it happened...
Just like the Fourth of July, there is a sense of community as each individual and family unite under the Mexican flag. This is theatre at its best. The whole make-up is a ritual tradition, and it is quite beautiful to see so many people gather to watch a ritual performance. May I refer those who are reading back to the origins of modern theater in Greece. Theatre sprang out of the rituals of the City Dionysus. This is something similar as well, although this time it's not so much religious as it is political/historical. The whole night was looking towards this one moment for the "grito."
Afterwards they set on fire two figures that appear to be Hidalgo and some other person important in the fight for Mexican independence. Pretty much all the lights went out to make the pyrotechnics stand out incredibly. The whole set-up was performed wonderfully, and by wonderfully I mean that it fulfilled its purpose to unite Mexicans in their patriotism. It made me even feel a bit jealous for their tradition, because in the United States we just sing the national anthem, eat BBQ and watch the traditional set of fireworks. Here they come together at a historical monument, give homage to their forefathers, sing the national anthem, and still have time for fireworks at the end.
Afterwards we walked around and enjoyed some food. All over Mexico, in just about every pueblo the "grito" that began the revolution is still remembered in the hearts of Mexicans.
I realize this entry comes about a month late. My apologies.
While the event Gloria and I attended wasn't necessarily the actual theatrical production of Broadway scenes, there were definitely some theatrical elements that were downright amazing from the singing. Indeed, acting is something we all do everyday. We tailor our voice and our movements based on those around us. Theatre is found everywhere, including in singing performances. This entry is an interdisciplinary approach to theater as will be many other entries soon to come.
The university, Tecnologico de Monterrey, is one of the most prestigious universities here in Guadalajara, Mexico. On 2 September 2011 they held a special event in their new Salon de Congreso.
This notice says that the "Exatec" choir and Classical Orchestra will hold a concert "Broadway Memories." There will also be the campus of Guadalajara in participation. The Exatecs are the alumni of this university.
This is one of the side views of their new building-Centro de Congresos
The front view is beautiful with a facade of glass.
There are either 3/4 entries into the building through glass doors through these pillars on the left. Gloria and I rode the bus, the 629-B up to the campus. Here are a few pictures of our adventure.
My lovely wife. I don't know where I'd be right now without her.
Of course, this wonderful bus ride was very entertaining. The guy in the white shirt decided to play his music so everyone could here it.
While this may look crowded, this is NOTHING compared to how the bus usually is in the morning. Think of about 30 more people and that's how the buses usually are in the morning and after work hours.
The room in which the performance took place was rather small. It was a make-shift conference room turned into an auditorium. The room consisted of two sections of seats, and platforms with chairs for the orchestra and room for the singers. Two screens were positioned on the sides of the singers to display the Broadway show and during the performance photos would be displayed that pertained to that particular show. Here are some pictures of the performance space.
The room wasn't that full when the performance began, but there were a considerable amount of people. I had a friend, Karen Cano, who performed the flute in the performance, and another friend who sang the lady's part of "Master of the House" when Les Miserables began. Here is a list of the songs performed in the show.
The truth, in terms of singing, the presentation was spectacular. The vocalists who performed solos and the one duet, were absolutely amazing. They brought together musical-acting techniques to their voices and filled the room with their performance. The one song I was most impressed by was Maria. The person who sung this song was Exatec, or an alumni, who recently graduated. He sang with such technique! I was blown away as he sang high notes, stuck his tongue out and showed his teeth. That sounds a little weird, but if you know anything about singing techniques, then you know how wonderful it was to see that. If you want another example of this, look to Wicked the musical and watch Idina Menzel sing the final notes to "Defying Gravity" on Youtube. I think her performance at the Tony Awards is the one I'm thinking about.
The evening was wonderful. The instruments were in tune, and the lighting affects kept the performance interesting. The performers were dressed formally, as seen in the following picture.
Something I find interesting is the fact that in Mexico, Broadway has made an impact into their popular entertainment. Here in Mexico, especially Guadalajara, there is a lot of theater, and a lot of entertainment. It's a big city, so there's a lot more at your disposal. The thing that gets me, though, is that they sang in English. I know there are translations into Spanish of the musicals, although I haven't heard one yet. The Broadway favorites continue in English in Mexico. That's interesting to me. It just shows the major influence the United States holds over Mexico. This was one performance I understood completely! Though I do hope one day they can hold a concert in their university in Spanish in regards to the arts. I would enjoy to see that as well.
Bravo to a wonderful show! The vocals were outstanding and the orchestra was wonderful. When we left we had our first experience in a Taxi. It wasn't that bad, in fact it was quite enjoyable. I explained to the taxi driver that in America things are a lot more expensive than here, so our money doesn't go as far as they think. We're not all rich in the United States, but when we come to Mexico our money surely goes much farther. We stepped out and walked home. It was too late for the buses to take us the rest of the way home.
On Thursday 28 August my wife and I made our way downtown to the Teatro Experimental de Jalisco.
We had previously purchased tickets to see Lisistrata. We were both a bit scared before attending this show because it has a lot to do with fornication. The plot put simply is in Athens the women take over and refuse to have sex with their husbands until they end their wars. The play was originally witnessed in 411 B.C. but continues to be a play of significance due to its themes about women and how they are treated in a patriarchal society. Mexico is known for its "machismo" which is basically that men control their women and the women stay at home cleaning and cooking. While it's not the case for all homes, it is of a big enough phenomenon for others to note it in the Mexican culture.
The trip to the theater was very stressful. There are two locations for the Universidad de Guadalajara in downtown Guadalajara. The first being the main campus, and the other being the historic building located at the heart of Guadalajara. We went to both thinking the theater would be there. It wasn't. I didn't print out the direction, so when I asked those around me if they knew where the Teatro Experimental de Jalisco was located they all responded in the negative. Finally we went to the police and asked them. They told us the main plaza in downtown Guadalajara has Wi-Fi, so we got on Gloria's iPod and looked up the direction. Both police told us a different way to get to Agua Azul and Calzada Indepedencia. I don't know how we ended up making it to the theater, but we got there about 5 minutes late. We crossed a dark park and somehow went straight to the building. Life is so much easier with an iPhone where I can track where we are and where our destination is.
We walked in after the play had already begun. I felt bad, but we had paid about 77 pesos each to attend, so I didn't feel too bad slipping in 5 minutes late. The performance aesthetics were magnificent. The set was a two dimensional series of pillars, three on each side, with a set of steps leading up to a gateway. They used a fog machine and fantastic masks. The masks covered from the nose up, and made their faces appear much larger. The mouth section was neat. They painted all around their mouth red, to make the lips look big. The clothing was great as well. Knowing they could have made many phallic jokes, since the play deals a lot with old comedy, they opted for a more modest appearance. Their white robes drooped between their legs, and when they made reference to making their "manhood" bigger, all they did was bend over and look surprised.
I actually understood the Spanish in this show a lot better than in La Casa de Bernarda Alba. Unfortunately what I did hear was pretty immoral. I was putting up with the crude humor until my wife couldn't take any more. She politely stepped out. I followed her example. I let her know before hand that if at any time in any piece of theater, if she felt uncomfortable, that I would support her and leave with her. That is exactly what I did. Thus the evening was cut short about half-way through the performance. There were themes in the show that were note-worthy, though. One of the them is the patriarchal system's abuse of women. This play shows how even in Greek society women yearned for respect and consideration from their husbands and leaders. The topic isn't new. While their way of seeking common grounds is a bit unconventional in today's standards, it nonetheless demonstrates the power women do hold over men.
We luckily made it home that evening, because our bus back to Patria and Vallarta had stopped running. Though a kind man by the name of Salvador let us on his bus because he was on his way home and he went through all of Vallarta, which meant he would pass Patria. We left just in time to make it home. Lisistrata was a cleverly performed play with wonderful actors who captured their audience. I'm not sure if it was mostly because their masks were so large that when they looked at the audience it was a bit unsettling, or if it was because they dominated their characters so well. I believe the actors were all students at the TEC de Monterrey where I am currently attending.
Now to the ending and description of La Casa de Bernarda Alba. I had already read this play twice (once in my Spanish 339 class with Dr. Quackenbush and again in my TMA 202 class with Dr. Jones. I feel pretty familiar with the play and the playwright. With that said, it was neat to hear the actors with their spanish accents. Most of the actors had very white skin (I would imagine reflecting the Spanish characters). The set was very minimalist.
The director is in the last photo. He did an excellent job with this production. Gloria loved Yosi Lugo, found in the second photo from the top of this section right next to the maid in black (to the left of her). Here's another photo for publicity:
Yosi Lugo's movement's were very calculated as she moved around with a cane. I could tell she moved with purpose. She was a fantastic actress to watch. When she entered the scene all the characters moved towards her as if she was the epicenter of action. The daughters each had their idiosyncrasies and some were more boring than others, but overall each brought to the scene something fresh. I could tell they had done their homework and brought themselves through each person they portrayed. The maid was a terrific actress as well, bringing the servant accent, a lower-class accent, to the stage. I don't really know how to describe this accent except to say it was very distinct from the "proper" accent of the other actresses.
The play also included a saxophonist. What a neat element. Part of the purpose for this saxophonist was to draw out the mood after a verbal battle. Perhaps the saxophone was meant to keep the mood melancholy, almost without hope. Sometimes it played under the dialogue. I don't think I would have thought about adding music, but it was very creative and added this director's unique touch to a Lorca classic.
The set was magnificently minimalistic. The essential was used so that the dialogue was the focus of the play. I enjoyed that aspect. It seemed to say that the play was of utmost importance and that what Lorca had written was universal and important to say. The bare poles in the back of the stage represented corridors where people would pass and eavesdrop. The couches in the front were the bare essential so that the interaction of all characters could focus on the dialogue. The dialogue is important because one of the highlights of this show is the fact of gossip. This is one of the signs of repression. Talking openly about problems and seeking solutions in a democratic way was out of the question in the times of Lorca. Thus the people had to spread rumors and talk in secret in order to relieve themselves. La Casa de Bernarda Alba is a perfect example of Spain under a dictatorship (aka-Bernarda). Right when the play is supposedly written Francisco Franco takes power. He was Spain's dictator from 1936-1975.
The skeletal structure on the stage left section of the stage was used for the "room" of the crazy grandmother, the room where Bernarda gossips with the mother of the woman who is stoned (if I interpreted the play correctly), and the barn where Adela hangs herself, though the actual hanging action occurred from the top of the curtain, showing only the legs falling. It appeared like a prison cell, which was a wonderful touch to the play's aesthetic feel.
May I add here a complaint. I'm not sure if this is a Mexican theater etiquette problem, or if it's because the audience didn't value a performance for only 90 pesos, or if they just didn't like the play, but come on! where is the respect the theater deserves? People were making their way to their seats probably 30 minutes into the play. I recognize the concept of time in Latino America is different than in the United States, but it doesn't count for the disrespect shown to the actresses. A "chavo" held a conversation on his phone in the actual theater. I couldn't believe it! I was completely disgusted by the lack of respect. Other than that the only other complaint was the sound system. When the actresses began using a louder voice, even shouting, the sound system began to fail and it was hard to discern what they were actually saying. Other than that it was a very enjoyable and humbling experience. When the performance ended the director called out a few famous people in the audience, including famous actors in Mexico. A beautiful evening with its good and bad.
