The Cuban woman finally dares to try her "first musical"

BarcelonaA unique theatrical phenomenon has given rise to a large part of our country's talent for actors and actresses: amateur theater. "In Catalonia, every town and village has its theater. It may be full of trash all year round, but when Christmas comes around, they clean it up and make a The Shepherds"Amateur theater has caught the interest of many people, and in fact, all of us who are dedicated to this profession come from there. It's part of our country's DNA; it's incredibly rich, and it hasn't been given enough institutional recognition," claims Jordi Milán, director of La Cubana. The company wanted to pay a proper tribute to amateur theater and, therefore, has decided to dedicate its first musical to it. Love came by taxi It has already begun performances at the Teatre Romea—although its official premiere is on Tuesday, September 30—and, for now, there are performances scheduled until mid-November.

Cubana speaks of its "first musical," but anyone who has seen the company's previous shows will know firsthand that the performers in their shows always sing and dance. "Until now, we hadn't dared to say we did musicals, because we considered they weren't. In this case, it is, for several reasons," explains Milán. The first, and by no means minor, is economic. Love came by taxi has come out ahead thanks in the line of aid from the Catalan Institute of Cultural Companies (ICEC), launched in 2023, provides funding for large-scale musical shows, with the aim of turning around the program, which has been dominated in recent years by Spanish-language productions of this genre. "Without that support, we wouldn't have been able to do it," says the director of La Cubana.

Beyond this issue, Love came by taxi It is a musical that combines songs fromThe Shepherds and melodies from early musical comedy with pieces by Joan Vives and Xavier Mestres. All of this to accompany an amateur theatre company preparing the staging of Love came by taxi, by Rafael Anglada. "It's a very well-known title, a play that premiered at the Teatre Romea in 1959 and has been performed by almost all amateur theater companies," explains Milán, who points out that he doesn't talk about theater. amateur, but rather amateurs, considering that the first term "has been used to imply that there is no professionalism, when many amateur companies are very professional, even if they work without pay."

The only place where Catalan theatre was performed

The decision to perform this show at the Teatre Romea is no small one. First of all, because the play they're referring to also premiered on the same stage, and furthermore in a very hostile context for Catalan theater. "At that time, the Romea was the only place where Catalan theater was performed. Comedies by Catalan authors premiered here, they ran for a few days and then were published by the Millà publishing house, located on Carrer Sant Pau. They were then passed on to amateur companies, who were the ones who really kept this theater going in Catalonia."

The show absorbs this entire context and brings it to the stage with the twenty or so performers involved: fifteen actors and six musicians, who also perform. Among them are long-standing members of the company, such as Anna Barrachina and Xavi Tena, and new additions in recent years such as Ariadna Clapés and Víctor G. Casademunt. "Let's refer to the magazine's manifesto." Destination who championed Catalan theatre, in Maria Callas's first performance at the Liceu in Barcelona, ​​in the urban development of Porcioles at the time, and in the burying of Aragó Street. All of this is reflected on stage," says Milán.

But beyond the historical curtain, Love came by taxi It's the story of a company filled with ups and downs, eagerly awaiting the cast for the next show and unable to agree on the decisions made. However, the characters are passionate people who rehearse and perform tirelessly for the love of their art, and when asked if it's really worth all their effort and dedication, they respond by singing.