Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2021 8:24:56 GMT
Hi, everyone! I’m an avid theatregoer who lives in Madrid and after lurking for a lot of time, I’ve finally decided to post something here. Hope I won’t break any rules. Let’s dig in!
I’ve decided to create this thread now, because, currently, there are lots of interesting productions of musicals here in Madrid. We have Grease, Kinky Boots, Antonio Banderas’s production of A Chorus Line, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, The Full Monty, Tina, Ghost, La llamada and The Lion King, which, by the way, turns 10 this year. And next month we’ll also have En tierra extraña, a musical about Federico García Lorca.
There are also some excellent productions of straight plays, especially at the theatres that belong to the Centro Dramático Nacional and Compañía Nacional de Teatro Clásico, but since the thread is called “Musicals in Madrid”, I won’t bore anyone with plays without songs and dancing.
I’ve already seen A Chorus Line, Kinky Boots, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Grease.
And, a-wop-baba-lu-mop and wop-bam-boom, what an amazing production of Grease is playing at the Nuevo Teatro Alcalá!
David Serrano, the director, has done with Grease what Emma Rice did with A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2016. He’s taken a clean cloth, dusted this 50-year-old musical and breathed new life into it.
All the characters except Vince Fontaine are played by teenagers. And it’s incredible how talented these kids are! All of them are great and full of energy. You should see them during the musical numbers. Their energy and enthusiasm are contagious. I’m sure that the rousing Act One finale will give anyone the rush of a lifetime.
Another thing I love about this production is that David Serrano has included lots of obscene language and gestures. This Grease is much closer to the original version than to the sanitized one that has become popular. Finally, the characters speak and behave more or less the way real teenagers speak and behave.
But, I reckon, the most important reason why this production of Grease is a must-see is Quique González.
What this 18-year-old kid has done with Danny Zuko is something unbelievable! He’s achieved what all actors dream about accomplishing when they have to play a role that’s already been played by lots of famous actors. He’s reinvented the leader of the Burger Palace Boys/T-Birds and breathed new life into him. Or maybe he hasn’t.
What sets his Danny apart from all other Dannies is the fact that his Danny isn’t a caricature of a strong and confident teenager; his Danny is a real teenage boy who’s ‘[w]ell-built, nice-looking, with an air of cool, easygoing charm. Strong and confident.’ The quote is the description of Danny Zuko in the original libretto. You could really see this Danny at any high school, fast food joint or place where today’s teenagers go to binge-drink and pash/make out. Besides, the lad is an accomplished actor, singer and dancer as well, so when he is on stage, you can’t take your eyes off him. Honestly, this kid is giving a performance that is so memorable and outstanding that I wouldn’t be surprised if people talked about it in the future - as they talk about Olivier’s Hamlet or Merman’s Rose. It’s simply amazing! One of those performances that must be seen!
In fact, even though he’s not Jamie, everybody’s already talking about him – at least here, in Madrid. He’s being hailed as a sensation:
Quique González, la sensación del momento en la escena teatral madrileña
And in case someone’s interested, this Saturday he’s taking over the BroadwayWorld Spain account on Instagram for 24 hours to show us everything about this production of Grease.
Oh my! Look at me … I sound like a teenage fanboy. I’m so ashamed! I’m so ashamed! I’m blushing in embarrassment!
Seriously though, what is a terrible shame is the fact that in Spain the shows are hardly ever filmed, because this is one of those productions that should be preserved for posterity. If you have a chance to see it, don’t miss it! I’ve already seen it twice since it opened and have tickets to watch it next week again. And I wouldn’t be surprised if I watch it once or twice more.
The only thing I don’t like about this Grease is the fact that they are using the songs that were written for the film version. I mean, c’mon, a straight lad like Danny Zuko would never sing something so syrupy and cloying as “Sandy”. “Alone at a Drive-In Movie” is funnier and suits the character far better. And I must be one of few people who prefer “All Choked Up” to “You’re the One That I Want”. But I understand why they did it. If they used the less popular musical numbers, only few of us would pay to watch it and if a show wants to survive it needs to put bums on seats.
By the way, a piece of advice: Don’t watch it from Anfiteatro 2, i.e. the gods. You’ll spend three hours squirming in your seat and you won’t see anything but the heads of those in front of you. It’s better to splash out and really enjoy watching this gem of a show from the stalls.