Calórica in its first large venue: What will the new show be like?

BarcelonaAnyone who regularly follows La Calòrica knows that, for some time now, every show they release involves racing to get tickets before they sell out. The congress does not march no at the Teatre Lliure de Gràcia and some spectators regretted that the production was not scheduled for the Fabià Puigserver Hall of the Teatre Lliure de Montjuïc, with a much larger capacity. If it weren't for the fact that the management of the Lliure has changed (in 2023 it was Juan Carlos Martel, in 2024 he took over Julio Manrique), one might think that two years later there is a response to that demand because La Calórica has finally entered its first large cinema.

The company —mother of great hits likeFairfly(2017),The birds(2018) andWhat are we talking about while we talk about all this shit?(2021)—will premiere next Wednesday The deer's rut, a large-scale show that can be seen at the Sala Fabià Puigserver until June 22. With a capacity of 573 spectators, this is the first time that La Calòrica has opened the doors to one of the two most coveted venues in Catalan theater. The other, the Sala Gran of the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya, is a temple that the company has yet to set foot in.

After The congress does not march no, a period production with nine actors, the Caloricos were eager to move towards a small-scale project. "But then Julio Manrique came along and made us this lovely invitation, which no one had ever extended to us before. We couldn't pass it up," explains the company's director, Israel Solà. The machinery of La Calòrica was then set in motion to create a new show, which often stems from a brainstorming session about the concerns of the group members. On this occasion, everything was leading them toward an existential crisis. "One realizes they don't know if they want to live in Barcelona for the rest of their life. The other tells you they're already 40 years old and that if they want to have children, it's now or never. What's the point of our work? Does it make sense to do political theater?" Solà summarizes. "We had the feeling of finding ourselves on a plateau in life. My character has reached a point in her life where she says, 'This is what I have, and this is what I'll have forever.' Is that what she really wants, or should she take steps to change it?" actress Esther López points out.

López plays Maribel, one of the two leaders of the couple in crisis around which much of the show revolves. Maribel and Pau (Xavi Francés) have traveled to a majestic mountain hotel where the bellowing of deer can be heard, which, according to the tour guide, is "a unique experience in an incomparable setting." There they meet two girls in search of a secret party, some businessmen, and a group of stage creators who discuss the importance and necessity of (or not) doing political theater. The deer's rut, which Comanegra has published in the Luz de Guardia collection, is a multi-story piece performed by the company's actors (Júlia Truyol and Aitor Galisteo-Rocher, as well as López and Francés) with the addition of Mel Salvatierra and Oriol Casals. The zesty Marc Rius will not be there this time. because it's rollingOur house, the new sitcom from TV3, in which he stars. The text is by playwright Joan Yago and the costumes are by Albert Pascual, both founding members of the company.

Against voracious individualism

The excuse is the couple in crisis, but the intention is to create "a political work from a personal perspective," says Solà. In fact, in The deer's rut The ideology that permeates, to one degree or another, all of La Calórica's works resonates, always with an element of social criticism and a call to action to fight individualism and achieve a better society. "In the end, people save each other. You have to be well, but that also means being well with others. Focusing on yourself and your mental health is good, but it's not enough; we live in a community," the director emphasizes.

Los Calóricos apply this to themselves, and that's led them to be one of the few stable companies in Catalonia—Los Piratas is another example—formed by people born in the 1980s. How have they managed to stay together after 15 years? "Christmas dinner helps a lot," jokes Solà. "The key is to talk a lot, and when you feel undervalued, you should be able to express it. We also know that it's good for everyone to find other spaces outside the company, but we always end up coming back. La Calórica gives us the chance to talk about what worries us and do whatever we want, and on top of that, we have a great time," says López.

A The deer's rut They fire back at the proliferation of spiritual gurus, pseudo-therapists, and various businesses that promise to provide emotional and mental well-being through dubious practices. "All the speeches and policies justify the problems we have as a society by focusing them on you. You have to work harder, you don't go to therapy enough, you don't have enough initiative, you're not focusing well on your work. On the other hand, many times the problems are collective, social," the director emphasizes. In the umpteenth argument between the couple (the hotel stay is getting worse and worse), Pau snaps at Maribel: "I'm in a therapeutic process, I'm trying to understand who I want to be and how I want to live. My therapist always says: 'The only way to leave a problem behind is to go through it.'" He exemplifies that voracious individualism that only distances him from others and with which Maribel, no matter how hard she tries, is unable to connect.

In 2025, the year of great challenges

While in one corner of the hotel bar, the couple is working together to find a way out of the deep crisis, in another, a playwright, a theater director, and a promising young woman discuss the meaning of art. Through them, La Calórica pokes fun at the egos and manias of the performing arts, but also brings to light the cracks and structural problems. Have they reconciled with the profession, after putting on a show that questions the meaning of theater? "We're still going around in circles, but... The deer's rut It's become a bit of a love song to our profession. From a satirical perspective, of course. After all, theater has value in itself because it's a transformative experience, and that's what we try to convey on stage," says Solà.

2025 will be a year that caloric fans will remember. Not only for having opened their first large theater, but also because it was the year they debuted on television, Multipurpose Room on TV3And, if that weren't enough, they'll be spending the summer in Latin America. The company will be making its first transatlantic tour with The birds, which will take them to Chile, Argentina, and perhaps Uruguay as well. "When I think about it... it's a dream," says López, his eyes shining.