"I always write about things that worry me and that I am experiencing," says playwright and director Marta Buchaca (1979) to talk about her latest play, A Slap in Time. Practically a year after Kramig, Buchaca returns to the billboard with a new comedy that points to different educational models and the clash between the ways of the 80s and 90s and the present day. "The war I'm having right now at home is with my children and against my parents. In my time, parents did things and we followed them, now it's the complete opposite," reflects Buchaca. From this contrast, the creator has made the heart of the show, which stars Ramon Madaula and Montse Guallar and premieres this Tuesday at La Villarroel, where it can be seen until May 17.

The first time Mariona Esplugues went to a psychiatrist's office, she was 10 years old. The man asked her if she knew how to multiply, and when she started crying, he gave her a Coca-Cola. Two decades have passed since that moment, which Esplugues now looks back on with a sense of humor and has even transformed into a play. She is the creator of CrazyA show that began with just two performances at the Eòlia Theatre and quickly became a minor phenomenon: it has been running for over four years now. Recognized with the BBVA Theatre Prize 2025 And with the award for best show for young people at the 2025 Igualada Festival, the production arrives on February 10th at La Villarroel, where it will celebrate its 100th performance and where it can be seen until March 1st.

There are few shows on the Catalan stage that bring together top-tier actors and actresses and give them leading roles designed to make them all shine on stage. The children, Lucy Kirkwood's play is one of those opportunities, and the public knows it and has made it known: before the opening on Saturday, February 7th at the Villarroel Theatre, more than 15,000 tickets have already been sold, a new advance sales record for the venue. The first four performances are sold out, and for many of the others (the play runs until March 29th), only a few seats remain. The three main attractions of the show are the actors Emma Vilarasau, Jordi Boixaderas, and Mercè Aránega, who star in a tragicomedy about the responsibility of current generations for the future. David Selvas directs, in a production by La Brutal with a translation by Cristina Genebat.

Jordi Casanovas's theatre moves between the many facets of human comedy and the commitment of political drama about the most immediate reality. With Gothenburg the author of Pack, Ruz-Bárcenas, A set menu, Idiot either Vilafranca It ventures into romantic comedy. It does so with a bittersweet story about the sudden reunion of a mature couple 30 years after their high school graduation trip to Gothenburg. Something was born between them there. Paula (Maria MolinsShe has recovered an old diary from her adolescence, spurred by the desire to uncover what really happened between them. To clarify things, she unexpectedly shows up at Sergi's (Roger Coma) house. Thus begins a dialogue, almost an interrogation, during which their understanding of each other's love emerges. It even becomes clear that, while the past cannot be changed, perhaps the memory of that past can be modified, even if nothing else changes.

Ten years ago, Maria Molins (Barcelona, ​​1973) made a radical decision: to leave the theater. The actress had already established a prolific career on the stage – she co-created and co-starred in Cabaret (2017), which was a finalist for the Max Awards—, in film—with movies like The forest (2012) – and on television, thanks to which she became especially known for her role as Isabeleta in The heart of the city (2001-2009). The birth of her daughter took her away from the theater and led her to Madrid, where in recent years she has worked extensively in the audiovisual field. Now Molins is making a radical change in her career and returning to the stage with GothenburgA show by Jordi Casanovas, which he stars in alongside Roger Coma. Berta Rabascall and Jan Mediavilla complete the cast of this story about second chances and honest lives, which premieres this Saturday, December 20, at La Villarroel, where it will run until January 18.

"I love Shakespeare and I love Chaplin," says Argentine comic book artist and director Gabriel Chamé Buendia (Buenos Aires, 1961) to explain the essence of his work. His shows, in which he adapts the British playwright's works using the language of comics, stem from his admiration for these two great figures. clownChamé made his debut for Barcelona in 2016 with Othello (ends badly) And now he returns to the city with a proposal that shares the coordinates of that show. Measure for measure (It's your fault) It reimagines Shakespeare's comedy to focus on the Duke's sexually charged abuse of power over Isabella, a novice nun. The show premieres this Saturday at La Villarroel and is part of the festival. Autumn Flash

For some time, actor Pol López wanted to reunite with Anglo-Irish playwright Martin McDonagh (London, 1970), one of the most over-the-top playwrights on the contemporary scene. In 2017, the actor played the lead role in The Connemara Skull, which was performed at La Villarroel under the direction of Iván Morales. Two years later, McDonagh returned to the Catalan stage with The beauty queen of Leenane, directed by Julio Manrique at the Biblioteca. Audiences familiar with the Anglo-Irish playwright's earlier works know what to expect: politically incorrect characters, dark humor, a tension on the stage that's about to explode, and surprising twists and turns one after another. This is precisely what's brewing in The hand, which will be performed at La Villarroel from October 19 to November 16, translated by Martí Sales, under the direction of Pau Carrió and starring Pol López.

For the third consecutive year, the theaters of the Focus Group have broken an all-time audience record. Last season, the Goya, Romea, Condal, and La Villarroel theaters garnered 517,000 spectators and €10.9 million in takings. "We have reached an unthinkable milestone. Surpassing half a million spectators and reaching this level of takings marks new records. These are springboard figures that point us toward an even more promising future," stated Daniel Martínez de Obregón, president of the Focus Group, during the season presentation. "The ingredients for success were there, and we have made good use of them to achieve a significant enough consensus regarding the high artistic quality of our production and exhibitions," he added.

Although most newspapers today carry ostentatious culinary guides from supposed experts for hungry gourmets and wealthy snobs, I don't think there's anything like the one a starred chef prepares for his friends at the Villarroel restaurant.

Mateu, Eduard, and Oriol have been lifelong friends. They're now 50 years old and have never seen each other cry. The situation, common among many male friendships, explodes at a dinner party when Oriol asks the big question: "Why is it so hard for men to cry in public? We're friends. Why have we never seen each other cry?" This is the trigger forA closed menu, the new comedy by Jordi Casanovas (Vilafranca del Penedès, 1978), which arrives this Friday at La Villarroel after having been shown in theaters in 40 Catalan municipalities. Directed by Lázaro García and produced by Hause & Richman, the play delves into the difficulties men face in expressing their emotions through three characters with three different ways of facing their masculinity.

Like a punch with a velvet glove. Like a caress with an iron glove. It's not easy to make people laugh, entertain, and move people when talking about breast cancer. It wasn't easy, but Cristina Clemente manages to achieve the goal with a virtuoso balance between comedy and drama, thanks also to the excellent direction of Sergi Belbel and three actresses in a state of grace.

Sometimes the most sincere friendships are also the most unexpected. Yolanda Fuster, Patrícia Moya, Aïda Cerdanya, Loli Guart, and Íngrid Icra met after suffering from breast cancer. The disease brought them together, but the bond goes much further. "Our conversations don't revolve around cancer. When we see each other, we talk about our children, about life," says Fuster, and Icra adds, "And about sex." They are in their 40s and 50s, and a few months ago, they saw how their experience with the disease was transformed into a play, Women of Radio, written by Cristina Clemente and directed by Sergi Belbel. Clemente –author of productions such as Lapland (2019) and A comprehensive therapy (2022) – infiltrated this collective friendship to build the characters of three women who on stage play Àngels Gonyalons, Sara Espígul and Sara Diego. Women of Radio It premieres at La Villarroel on March 22nd after a successful tour of several theaters across the country. They have already seen it and praised it: "It's a show that touches you deeply, and it made us laugh a lot," emphasizes Icra.