What do Spanish opera singers and Jay-Z have in common? Both use animated, light-up screens as backgrounds for their performances. Trade out Jay-Z's flashing New York City skyline for a 17th century Spanish pueblo, and you'll find yourself smack dab in the middle of a Zarzuela performance.
And the Zarzuela performers are actually one step ahead of Jay-Z technology-wise -- they have a karaoke-like screen so spectators can follow along with the words and understand better. I guess not understand exactly what Jay-Z is saying is better though.
Tonight I went to Teatro de Zarzuela to see the show Luisa Fernanda. A mixture of romance (love triangle, of course) and political commentary (Queen or no Queen?), the play was very entertaining. And significantly more comfortable to be sitting next to a 50-year-old man than the last one we saw.
Zarzuela is a type of drama that actually originated in Madrid as entertainment for the monarchy. It alternates between speaking and opera-like singing with some dancing thrown in also. The experience is very glamorous -- the theater was ornate with chandeliers and golden trim; the audience was dressed to impress; and the actors were classy as well.
Ultimately, I really enjoyed my Spanish opera-ish experience. I was surprised by their use of computer animation for the background, but it was actually very beautiful. The most powerful part was the closing scene where a man was left crying alone on stage, and the background soared from the ground up into a dark sky of falling stars.
No comments:
Post a Comment