Peyu i Albert Pla: "I know the country less and less: I no longer know how many people are interested in a comedy in Catalan."

BarcelonaThe program Wise nature TV3 brought together the creative talents of comic book artist Peyu and musician Albert Pla. "I invited him to lunch in Muntanyola, I made some macaroni, and here we are," says the man from Osona. Now this unlikely pair reunites on a stage, an imposing stage like Barcelona's Coliseum Theatre, to perform their unique show. Hamletwhich has nothing to do with Shakespeare. From December 23rd to April 6th, two peculiar characters will be forced to share a hospital room.

FromDon Quixote to Lethal weaponTheatrical, literary, and cinematic couples offer a lot of possibilities. Do you have any role models?

— Peyu: Paco Morán and Joan Pera, yes.

— Albert PlaWho are these people?

— PeyuThey're just starting out. The Odd CoupleThis is just as a reference point, because they remind me of characters from the show. But the ones I particularly like are Faemino and Cansado.

— PlanAh, I do like these.

What do you admire about each other artistically?

— PlanIt goes by itself. Everything works. It's like the Poltrona Roscón. They go by themselves, you don't have to do anything, you just have to stay still.

— PeyuYou're up to something, Albert, don't mess around. If I were Albert... (thinks).

— PlanI understand that it's difficult for you.

— PeyuIt's difficult because there are so many things! He has a spectacular stage presence. If you put someone standing still on stage, and it's not him, it's very difficult for it to work. But with him standing still on stage, you can't help but stare. I have to counteract that by talking a lot and doing a lot of things to capture attention.

And if we do it the other way around, what does the other one find more difficult?

— PeyuDamn, he's very stubborn.

— PlanYes, we're very stubborn. When I was young, I thought it was a flaw, but now I see it as a virtue. I really like that people who work are so stubborn and don't listen to you, and do whatever they feel like, for whatever reason. I increasingly believe that if you're not pushy and stubborn, it's very difficult to get along with others.

— PeyuI believe that, creatively, the show benefits from this struggle. The creative process has been based on rehearsing and improvising, and on building it gradually. When we spent an hour arguing about whether something should be wrapped up with two or three lines, it was for the benefit of the show. Then, some days he won, some days I won.

— PlanThe work could be described as: "They won't budge from their high horse."

Why has it been titled Hamlet?

— PeyuIt's marketing. We simply added a Shakespearean reference because we'll fool the cultural crowd and they'll all come. Since theater critics always see Shakespeare in Mic's show and there's a Shakespearean echo, we're handing them that Shakespearean reference right there in the title.

— PlanAnd I, who work so hard for Spain, am glad because some friends tell me:You're doing a Hamlet, aren't you?"Yes." That's it. I've made a for them. Hamlet.Come on, it's in Catalan, you're going to love it. Fantastic!"

There is some parallel with HamletIs there a ghost?

— Plan: Some skull, some ghost, but they are alive.

— PeyuThere are some deaths, that's for sure. There are arguments, fights, hatred, love, everything that life has. It's all Shakespeare, because the son of a bitch wrote so much that if you put on a show about a guy farting, "Shakespeare did this!", well, surely somewhere, yes.

How is the show constructed?

— Plan: Via WhatsApp.

— PeyuBefore we locked ourselves away in the theater, I suggested a starting point. Albert would then chime in: "Look, I've written a little song." And we'd pass it around. We locked ourselves away in the theater with this starting point, along with the director, Joan Roura, and the assistant director, Sanyes.

— PlanThe goal was to arrive at the rehearsal before the other person to decide everything.

— PeyuIt was a battle. The ending was hard-fought, it brought many arguments, but I think we have a very good ending.

Do you think that being two such well-known artists works in your favor or against you when you go on stage? In the sense that people come to see you because they know you so well, but at the same time, it might be harder to surprise them.

— PeyuI think it's the other way around. I think people are hesitant to come see us precisely because they know us so well, and yet, when they do come, they're pleasantly surprised, at least by what we've seen so far, which we've filmed in Calldetenes and done a few gigs. They leave surprised because it's a two-character comedy that could have been played by Paco Morán and Joan Pera, or by Joel Joan, or anyone else. With our own unique style and the musical elements that, if Albert weren't around, probably wouldn't be there.

— PlanI don't give a damn about people. I mean, you learn things by doing shows, and now I know more about theater than before I started working with Peyu.

— PeyuAnd I'd like a little more music.

— PlanEverything is a learning experience. That's what's fun and almost the only purpose: to have a good time, learning things, discovering new worlds and new behaviors on stage, new ways of approaching dramaturgy and acting.

Do you care about people?

— PlanWhen you do all this, you do it for yourself, knowing you'll fail a lot. Then, every entry you make is a huge triumph.

Albert has acted in films and, therefore, has followed scripts. But you, Peyu, have never acted in a text already written by someone else. I don't know if he'd be interested in doing Shakespeare.

— PeyuI would definitely like to do a comedy or a film or a story with more characters. Like Albert said, you're always discovering and learning new things. I always did stand-up with characters I created myself, and having another comedian lets you generate situations that make people laugh. I'm having a great time with this because I've never had it before. It's a lot of fun.

Did you build the characters based on what the public knows about you?

— PeyuOkay, so I act like an idiot and...

— Plan: ... who looks a lot like Peyu and I make an idiot who looks a lot like me.

— PeyuBut we're playing characters. There are moments when Albert Pla or myself are more recognizable, but they're two different characters. Let's make comedy out of drama. There's this man who's had I don't know how many illnesses and he's been there for a long time. The idea is to experience that misery a little and find humor in it all.

I've seen that he's been promoting himself on the streets of Barcelona.

— PeyuSince we were coming from Barcelona and Barcelona is now mostly just tourists, expats and things like that, we rented a go kart "We rented to tourists and promoted the area around the Sagrada Familia and these places."Barcelona show, international show, flamenco"

— PlanThey said they would come...

— PeyuIf they pay, everyone can come.

It will be running for many months. This stage is impressive, especially with a production you've put together through your production company, El Corral.

— PeyuYes, it's impressive, because this is 1,400 seats and a three-month run. I did it with the intention of proving it's possible, and I hope it is. Because we're at a point where I know the country less and less, and I no longer know how many people are interested in theater, how many are interested in a comedy in Catalan. I'd like it to be many, and I'd like some people to be able to accept the fact that a well-made comedy with two characters in Catalan can fill the Coliseum for three months.

Why do you say that, you don't know the country?

— PeyuI don't know what people are interested in anymore; we're in a rather strange time. I don't know if all they care about is Instagram. I don't know how many people are still willing to go to the theater, willing to suffer in the middle of Barcelona, ​​go out for dinner, get confused and eat badly, and make the effort to pay 25 euros for a parking space at Saba. I hope there are some, and that they're there.

— PlanYou usually get along more smoothly with the promotion.

— PeyuSorry, I saw you throwing stones at my roof. But go ahead! You can come by public transport! I've finished the joke, even.

— PlanIf it comes from abroad, forget it!

— PeyuThere was a really funny promo for the Vic Medieval Market that I heard on the radio, a Renfe ad, that said: "Come by train to the Vic Medieval Market and be transported to the Middle Ages." I swear, I heard it on the radio and I thought: how come no creative person thought of this? We're going to get ripped off for this promo! It was spectacular.

As the year ends in the theater, it would be nice to know your goals for 2026.

— PeyuIt will be the good year of HamletTo fill this theater, to get people talking, to make it a success. And by the end of the year, I'd like to start a new, smaller-scale theater project.

— PlanI'll make an album. And a tour... yeah, we'll see. Beyond three months, it's difficult. In fact, the fun thing about this profession is that you can never really imagine what they'll propose to you in two months. Those are the coolest things. If last June someone had told me I'd be here at the Coliseum premiering... Hamlet I wouldn't have believed it with Peyu.

— PeyuTheaters are increasingly scheduling shows further in advance, which is difficult. The creative side is somewhat out of sync with the production side, because you have ideas when you have them, you meet a character like Albert when you can, and that's not planned.

Does this job keep you up at night?

— PeyuOn the business side, when you're risking your own money, it is a bit daunting and scary. But I've learned to live with it. I would like to focus solely on what I know how to do, which is going up here and making people laugh and forgetting about everything else for a while, but if you want to make the products the way you want to make them, in your own style and with your own stamp, if you don't do it yourself, it's difficult to achieve.