Bravo to Los Piratas, who are performing in the theater with Goldoni

Carai con The PiratesReduce the trilogy! The village Adapting Carlo Goldoni's great work into a 90-minute play while preserving all the energy, humor, and critique of the original must be no easy feat. And staging it with only four actors is a true acting challenge, which Núria Cuyàs, Ricard Farré, Laura Pau, and Arnau Puig overcome with virtuosity and great comedic flair under the ingenious and vibrant direction of Adrià Aubert.

The village It's a gentle satire of manners. The manners of the new bourgeoisie, reflected in the aristocracy during their holidays, are a whirlwind of parties, lunches and dinners, courtship, and flirtation, all to demonstrate that, besides being handsome, they are rich and fashionable. The first part is the preparation for the holidays that no one wants to miss, lest they lose what they want to prove they are. Leonardo courts Jacinta, Filippo's daughter, hoping for a marriage that will free him from debt, but a young man on the horizon will pose a challenge. The second part is their stay in the idealized countryside; and the third, their return to the city.

Adrià Aubert and Carla Coll's version retains elements of the first two parts of the trilogy, but, without losing its style and keeping its characters, it takes a turn towards a certain modernity that includes the emotional independence of women. Economic conflicts are resolved through entrepreneurship, and romantic ones without conventional marriages.

But the appeal of the show lies in its theatrical flair, in which Los Piratas have a knack for improvisation. And here they demonstrate it abundantly with characters reminiscent of Commedia dell'Arte. There are no masks, but there are wigs to change characters in the blink of an eye, right before everyone's eyes. Up to twelve characters appear on stage. Laura Pau is pure energy and vivacity. No less so is Núria Cuyàs, with the mannerisms of a forest sprite. Arnau Puig is the most clownish of them all, and Ricard Farré moves between a whiteface clown and a good-natured Pantalone. How much fun they have, and how much fun they make the audience have, with very few elements recycled from previous productions. Bravo!