Ànima at Teatre Tívoli, Barcelona Review
Written by Laura for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
In the 1930s, Greta Edwards moved to Los Angeles from a small town to pursue her dream of becoming an illustrator and working on animated films, only to find that she would have to prove herself in a male-dominated industry that was unwilling to welcome her, no matter her talent. Ànima (Soul) is a musical by Blanca Bardagil, Oriol Burés, Victor G. Casademunt, and Marc Gómez, and it’s having its second season in Barcelona at Teatre Tívoli.
This beautiful story touches on themes like pursuing one’s dreams, creativity, and women’s empowerment within the early animation industry. Greta goes on a wild adventure to chase her dreams, but she soon realizes it’s going to be a lot more difficult than she thought, and she’s going to have to either fight for her future or give up. The second act becomes a bit of a comedy of errors in the best possible way as everyone goes out of their way to help Greta achieve her dream.
The music by Adrià Barbosa is very jazzy and time-appropriate, and at the same time, it has a Disney-like quality to it that almost gives it a nostalgic flair and makes everything sound sweet and hopeful. I absolutely loved the harmonies, especially in the first song. The scenes are so upbeat and epic that I mistook a couple of numbers for the first act finale! There were some issues with the sound, as the orchestra sounded a lot louder than the artists themselves, and differences between the singers were also notable. However, it is the show’s first week, so I believe this will be smoothed out.
The costumes by Oriol Burés look incredible as well. They look time-appropriate, but at the same time, they’re very colorful and a bit whimsical, giving the show a look that is quite accurate but with a magical flair, which the production adopts in other aspects as well.
The set is also beautiful. A string of papers envelops the stage, almost as if the story is an animated movie being created inside the circle. Inside, there’s a rotating stage and many moving pieces that were quite large and can be climbed on, giving the performers more space. Its craftmanship is incredible.
Paula Malia was lovely as Greta: she has the voice of a Disney princess and managed to sound perfect while infusing depth and emotion into her singing. Her character is fictional, although it is loosely based on the first female animators at Disney, such as Retta Scott. Diana Roig never fails to astound me with her clear, resonant voice, which she seems to use effortlessly; she was charming and funny as Greta’s friend, Mina Moretti. Oriol Burés plays Mr. Disney himself, here named Walter, in what is probably one of the most accurate portrayals of the man I’ve seen. Walt(er) was someone creative, for sure, but also ambitious, and he did play a character whenever he was on screen, a character that he ended up resenting. This was very well developed in the show and gave Walter a depth that was very interesting and nuanced, without turning him into a villain or antagonist, but simply showing him as human.
I found myself very moved by the display of talent onstage, the quality of the music, the costumes, and the set. It absolutely feels like a production that could have been born on Broadway or the West End. In fact, they’re completely missing out on it!
The show can be found on Apple Music and Spotify, and it will be playing at Teatre Tívoli until May 10th.
★★★★★
