Returns 'Cop de rock': "We are here to promote and normalize shows in Catalan"

Barcelona"Do you see this yellow and red flag with a blue box? —says director Joan Lluís Bozzo, pointing to a Catalan flag in the promotional image of Cop de rock—. Don't tell Cardinal Omella, because they'll remove these kids from the stage." The joke, referring to the still recent expulsion of 600 singers from the Sagrada Família for wearing Catalan flags printed on their sheet music, serves the co-founder of Dagoll Dagom to present the revival of one of the company's repertoire shows, Cop de rock. Before completely disappearing, Dagoll Dagom has handed over the reins of this production to a young company led by Jofre Bardolet and Júlia Cervera Marsó under the umbrella of the producer La Barca. Together they have revived the production, which premiered on September 11, 2011, and will be performed at the Teatre Coliseum in Barcelona from September 3 to 6.

The company has revived the show and has respected both its dramaturgy and its soundtrack, which features songs from the 90s by groups such as Sau, Lax'n'Busto, Els Pets, Sopa de Cabra, and Gossos. "We want to vindicate Catalan rock and show that it is still absolutely current," argues Bardolet, who is in charge of the musical direction of the show and also plays the protagonist. His character, Roc, is a young man from a town in Alt Empordà who has a band with three other friends. The arrival of a group of friends celebrating a bachelorette party will shake up their realities and awaken some love stories. A few years later, the young people will meet again following the death of one of them. "The story serves as a connecting thread, and the songs are woven in. There are moments when we step out of realism to give way to dreams and hallucinations of some characters," explains Cervera, who, in addition to stage direction, also plays Júlia, one of the protagonists.

An ideological motivation

Cop de rock brings together on stage about twenty people including performers, dancers and a band with five live musicians. Dagoll Dagom has lent the company part of the original scenography —which is by Alfons Flores and consists mainly of three large rocks— and celebrates that, through this new version, the production remains alive. "Cop de rock is a spectacular journey through emotions," explains Cervera. According to the director, there is partly an ideological motivation in the fact that they have decided to move forward with this musical. "We are here to promote and normalize shows in Catalan. The more there are on the billboard, the better. Cop de rock premiered in 2011, when this demand was very much alive. It is fundamental to continue fighting and betting on theater and musicals in Catalan," argues Cervera.

Before landing in Barcelona, the show was seen at L'Atlàntida de Vic, where it sold out and brought together more than 4,200 spectators in six performances. At the Coliseum, they have already sold over 2,200 tickets. They also expect the production to tour Catalonia afterwards. The show is driven by La Barca, an Osona-based producer that has also been responsible for recording the concerts of the Camerata de Música Catalana and has produced the opera Ferides (2024) and the play Festeig i giravolt (2025), both created by Bardolet. "In all the projects we do, there is a common element: the claim of our country's heritage," points out Bardolet.