‘Hairspray’…¡en español!

Last Saturday, I saw a Puertorrican production of Broadway’s hit musical ‘Hairspray’, translated to my native spanish tongue. Being the musical theatre freak I am, I felt like I had to see it, but found myself initially weary of the quality of the translation, as well as of the quality of the piece in general. Luckily, I decided to get those worries out of the way and enjoy a casual night of theatre with a few like-minded friends. Expectations left at the door, I prepared myself to judge the piece using a constructive approach. What did I think of it? Read on.

 

Program for the Puertorrican production of 'Hairspray'.

 

Previous to it, I’d never seen anything relating ‘Hairspray’ outside of some billboards on Times Square when I went to New York last summer and a trailer for the film adaptation of the same name. I thought to myself “hey, it’ll be great to experience the story for the very first time on the stage, where it was intended to be experienced”. Well, it was indeed a great opportunity to fall in love with the story right out of the bat…that is, until a rough combination of lack of decent diction from the majority of the actors and sound balancing problems ruined it for me.

To be fair, I did understand the main line of the story, yet I missed tons of details here and there (mainly during the musical numbers). Details that could’ve helped flesh out character development, revealed thematic nuances in the story, give way to funny situations or pinpoint clever lines of dialogue. From the little that I got, translation was handled well, yet I hope I could’ve understood all of it and give a proper critique to it. Instead, I had to work with what was given to me, which was pretty much unintelligible to begin with. Directors: diction is key for the audience to fully enjoy your play or musical. Without it, they won’t get involved as easily as it should be, and it should be easy.

 

Broadway production of Hairspray.

 

The other thing I missed was energy; I mean, where was it? To feel realistic and involving, theatre depends on the energy its protagonists are able to convey on the stage. If there’s an apparent lack of energy from the cast, the audience will get the message: “if it isn’t as important to them, it should not be for us as well”. You lose the audience quickly without it. I missed the energy of, say, the cast of ‘In the Heights’…an ensemble so into it, you just had to stand and applaud in appreciation of their motivational work. I didn’t feel that with this production of ‘Hairspray’.

Oh, and don’t even think to say to me: “you’re contaminated”. I’m comparing this to a Broadway piece, yes, but that’s because I know it can be as good, or better. Theatre doesn’t need high sums of money…it needs dedication, and oomph. It needs to feel alive. Set design was bare, yet the few pieces they had were functional and did their work. Lighting design, however, wasn’t to my liking: it looked like the lighting designer wasn’t trying to highlight characters instead of focusing on the larger picture. A miss, in my opinion. 

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “you ended up hating it, right?” Nah. I was just heavily dissapointed with all those points stated above, but by no chance they were enough for me to proclaim this production a “disaster”. It definitely worked. As the local newspaper wrote the following day in its review, “Pasó la prueba”. It passed the test. 

 

Puertorrican production of 'Hairspray'.

 

Acting-wise, there were some standout performances: Junior Alvarez as “Edna Turnblad” was fantastic; Linnette Torres as the villain “Velma Von Tussle” was not only on-point, but a few steps above; Ektor Rivera as “Seaweed Stubbs” was the most energetic of the bunch, and it worked wonders for his interpretation of that lively character; and Nelson Del Valle was convincing as “Corny Collins”. The rest of the cast ranged from “good” to “mediocre”, but they all worked in their roles. And coreography-wise, it looked very good, too: this was definitely my favorite aspect of it, with dance numbers looking energetic while being synchronized.

Suffice to say, I think there’s enormous room for improvement. Puerto Rico’s theatre scene is starving for productions, and anything that gets produced is a good thing. But let’s not stop there: we can be more than good. We can be fucking great. The following day, I attended an opera…and it was ”fucking great”. 

It can be done. 

As a last note, why spend months and months of practice and production design work…for only a weekend of showings? All the shows were filled to capacity in the 1,875-seat Antonio Paoli Hall during those three nights. It’d make more sense to present more showings in a smaller venue (think two-to-three weekends). Give people from all over the island a chance to see this. Take note, theatre producers!

Thanks for reading. : )

A heartfelt goodbye to ‘Rent’ on Broadway.

 

 

On April 29, 1996, Jonathan Larson’s ‘RENT’ opened on Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre to both critical and commercial acclaim, even snatching the Pulitzer Prize for Drama that very same year. Based on Giacomo Puccini’s classic opera ‘La Bohéme’, the musical is classified as a “rock opera” and features a diverse, young cast portraying bohemian young adults and the hard lives they struggle with while living in New York City’s East Village. It sure is an unorthodox premise, but its epic, intimate story of love, life and death has resonated with thousands of people around the world in more ways than anticipated.

After twelve years of uninterrupted shows, the Broadway production closed its doors Sunday night with its final performance because of lack of ticket sales during these past years. I can’t believe I’m actually sad about this, but as its producer said, “it’s time”. So, you may be asking “why was this piece so groundbreaking when it first played in the mid-nineties? What makes it such a transcendental theatrical experience even now?”

 

 

Well, it has cojones for once. Half of the “main” characters suffer through AIDS, some of these being homosexuals. The piece treats these topics seriously, exploring both the positive and negative sides of the situation: it gives us a glimpse as to how people with this terrible disease seek emotional support with one another, and it forces us to put ourselves in their shoes. That alone is commendable. But aside from the excellent social commentary, the raw energy or the performers and the sheer quality of the lyrics and music is nothing short of brilliant. It’s certainly easy to appreciate, theatrically speaking.

Now, it’s a shame the only thing some people will have exposure to relating to the original piece is the terribly flawed film adaptation (oh, Chris Colombus). If you’ve seen it and groaned while doing so, you know what I mean. However, it’s clear the true heart of this material resides in the stage, where it was born: it is there, and in the memories, dreams and hopes of sensible souls the world over, where it’ll live on for (hopefully) all time.

Any thoughts you’d like to share on this? Don’t be afraid to comment below! Thanks for reading. : )

Eleven years late to Broadway’s ‘The Lion King’.

 

 

‘The Lion King’ is perhaps Disney’s biggest success story this side of ‘Pixar’. The epic “coming of age” story centered around a lion in the plains of Africa has been experienced by millions worldwide, garnering critical acclaim and billions in revenue since its release in the mid-nineties. I’m sure everyone remembers fondly the moment where the sung words “Nan ts’ngonya ma bakithi baba!”* first inundated the theater, inducing goosebumps to everybody in the audience. It certainly became a landmark film and the most recognized animated feature in the history of animation.

A few years after its release, Michael Eisner (then president of the house of mouse) moved some pieces to create a stage version based on the film. Few took him seriously when he approached Disney’s Theatrical division with the idea, yet he insisted. Some time after that, the figure of Julie Taymor appeared out of nowhere, as if Eisner would have summoned her out of his own golden lamp. She began carefully sculpting (literally and figuratively) what would later become one of the most succesful shows on Broadway. Make no mistake, without the artistic merits of Taymor on board, ‘The Lion King’ musical would not have been as refreshing and exciting, not to mention as visually beautiful, as the piece it has been for the past 11 years and remains today.

Get on a plane if you need to: ‘In the Heights’ is a triumph in contemporary theatre.

 

Lin-Manuel Miranda and the cast of 'In the Heights'.

 

The month of June was filled with revelations of the “punch to the head” kind. You know, the ones that make you say “How the hell could I have missed this?!”. Chief between them, this new Broadway musical I began reading about in the local newspaper because its creator was Puertorrican and he, along the production itself, were nominated for thirteen (!) Tony Awards, of which they ended winning four, including the one for Best Musical. I couldn’t believe “El Nuevo Día” knew about this before me. Oh, it must’ve happened before to some of you too, I’m sure. : )

‘In the Heights’ is the title of this production. The show chronicles the lives of a group of individuals (mainly of latin descent) that form a tight-knit community in the area of Washington Heights, in the upper part of Manhattan. Lin-Manuel Miranda is the Puertorrican artist who conceived it, also credited for the music and lyrics. Before I begin throwing flowers to this man, let me clarify: this guy is the real deal. I have never seen anyone feeling so passionate about his or her work, so proud. To top things off, he also stars in the show as one of the story’s most iconic characters.

 

The energetic ensemble is literally the best I've seen.

 

So, I flew to New York and saw this show at the end of June after much debate with my loved one (who didn’t like the idea of spending two hundred and fifty bucks on another musical) and well…I can honestly say I’m obssesed with the piece. It’s the first *original* musical I’ve seen with so much mass appeal since RENT, partly to the fantastic music (which fuses latin rhythms with hip-hop) and the classic themes found within the story (finding where you belong; social discrimination and most of all, love). 

The ensemble is literally the best I’ve seen in my life, exuding passion and energy during the entire duration of the performance, and giving life to characters that are both well-written and downright charming, each in their own unique way. Suffice to say, by the end of the performance, you will want to befriend every single one of these people. The exquisite set design and subtle (but effective) lighting complement the piece like, again, no other I’ve seen. There’s a particular scene in the show which sees a recreation of a “power outtage” that exemplifies the above-mentioned.

I can’t stop raving about it to family and friends alike, and I’m already planning a second trip to New York City to watch it again. Even if you’re not the “musical type”, give this show a chance (my loved one? He ended up loving it as much as I did). It’s modern; it’s fresh; it’s cool. But most importantly, it’s full of passion and heart, and anyone with even just an ounce of sensibility needs to experience it. 

 

Gotta' love that set. Amazing-looking.

 

Don’t forget to comment with your own ideas (and suggestions!) below. Thanks for reading. : )