The company behind the musical "My Name Is Helena Jubany" denounces an attempt at "censorship."

BarcelonaThe Badalona Circus, which was to host the premiere of the work on October 26 My name is Helena Jubany. A necessary musical., has disassociated itself from the play produced by the company Plataforma Blanc i Negre and will not rent the space for the premiere. "We were unaware of the theme of the show or its content. What poor taste," said Xavi Carreras, artistic director of the Círcol. "The production company did not offer the necessary transparency and we completely disassociate ourselves from the project. We deeply regret any harm or misunderstanding this may have caused, especially to the family involved."

Following the theater's decision, Plataforma Blanc i Negre announced this Wednesday the cancellation of the premiere "due to force majeure" and has called on all theaters in Catalonia to bring the musical to the stage. "We hope to find a new venue soon, after having been evicted from the previous one. In the 21st century, art should not suffer this type of censorship, and artistic freedom of expression is a fundamental right," says the company's statement, which will offer in the theaters the possibility of "pre-evaluating the textual and musical content of the work and getting to know it."

According to Plataforma Blanc i Negre, the musical My name is Helena Jubany It is suitable for ages 13 and up, and they believe it can be "very useful" for the public, since it deals with current issues such as chemical submission and gender violence. The company states that it has the "enthusiastic" support of other families linked to the Jubany case, such as that of Montserrat Careta, although, according to the statement, she has a "probably much more delicate stage position than that of Helena Jubany." "Artistic censorship is a very serious issue and can affect us all. We live in a democracy in which everything should be able to be discussed, as long as it is done with prudence and respect," the statement concludes.

The Jubany family, against

The controversy surrounding the musical erupted this Tuesday following the announcement of the premiere of the play by Plataforma Blanc i Negre. The company lacks the consent of Jubany's family, who immediately expressed their opposition upon learning of the project. According to Joan Jubany, Helena Jubany's brother, the Blanc i Negre company was explicitly asked not to go ahead with the musical so as not to "interfere" with or "harm" the progress of the ongoing legal case into the still unsolved murder of the young woman from Mataró, murdered nearly 25 years ago.

Speaking to RAC1, Jubany said he was "amazed" by the musical project: "We expressly asked the company not to use Helena Jubany's name or memory." Through his lawyer, Benet Salellas, Jubany added that he sent a fax to those responsible for the play asking "that they not go ahead with the project." According to Plataforma Blanco y Negro, My name is Helena Jubany. A necessary musical. It chronicles the period in which the victim moved to Sabadell to work as a librarian, ending a few months after her murder. "The plot primarily explores Helena Jubany's life, not her death," the company explains, adding that they had the green light from the families involved.