Grec Festival: Poncia + Tirant lo Blanc (Barcelona)
Written by Laura for Theatre and Tonic.
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review.
Every summer, Barcelona hosts the Grec Festival, a multidisciplinary event featuring theatre, music, circus, and dancing, and more. It is a huge event, not only locally but throughout Europe as well. This year marks the 48th edition and it comes with many interesting proposals spanning about 50 different spaces around the city, welcoming both local and international talent until the 4th of August.
This past week, we’ve been able to attend to two premieres, Poncia and Tirant lo Blanc. Stay tuned for more Grec 2024 updates!
Poncia
(Trigger warning for suicide)
This show, performed in Spanish, offers a unique take on the play La casa de Bernarda Alba (The House of Bernarda Alba), originally written by Federico García Lorca in 1936 and very well known in Spain. This new retelling focuses on the character of Poncia, the house’s maid, as she reflects on the oppression inside Bernarda’s house after Adela, the youngest of Bernarda’s daughters, hangs herself. Luis Luque, the author and director, adapted Poncia’s lines in the original text and turned them into a soliloquy.
The stage is quite bare, with only four white curtains representing Bernarda’s grim and confining house. Inside, we find Poncia, played expertly by Lolita Flores. Lolita is extremely well loved by the public, perhaps better known as a Flamenco singer even though she is an accomplished actress as well. She was the absolute highlight of the show, completely alone on stage, with no additives, no distractions, no extravagant costumes or staging; just her and her incredible delivery. She brought intense emotions and complexity to her character and was mesmerizing to watch. Lolita commanded the stage in a way that I have rarely seen before.
Lolita also briefly played other characters herself, such as Bernarda Alba or her mother María Josefa. This was introduced after a couple of acts of her monologue, and so I was a bit taken aback as I was not expecting it. Even though she did a wonderful job at switching between characters, I do not believe it was necessary; her Poncia was impressive enough without adding other characters. I would have preferred it if it had stayed a monologue.
In terms of a plot, I believe they could have given just a tad more context at the beginning. Even though the original play is well known, not everyone knows about it! Even still, piecing together the story was also an interesting exercise.
I would absolutely love for this story to reach an international audience someday. In the meantime, you can catch it at Teatre Goya in Barcelona until July 28th.
★★★★
Tirant lo Blanc
Another reinvention of a classic, this time a Catalan one; Tirant lo Blanc was a chivalry literature book originally published in 1490 and written by Joanot Martorell. In it, we follow the knight Tirant lo Blanc as he goes on adventures all over the world.
The creators aimed to modernize this novel to make it more appealing and relatable to younger audiences, as well as to connect with some themes that are still relevant today. Teatre Romea, where the show is played, is well-known for this kind of reinvention.
In this production we delve much more into the secondary characters’ motivations and struggles, which makes Tirant’s character seem less heroic, even malicious at times. The show plays with the idea, or ideal, of a hero, and whether creating that sort of character takes us further away from reality. Who is the real enemy? It’s fear, and fear of others. A powerful and pointed statement that permeates every aspect of the text.
I must praise the young and talented cast that brought Tirant to life. Aside from playing their characters, we see them sing, dance, and play instruments; a truly versatile bunch of artists! Even though everyone did a wonderful job, I want to highlight Laura Aubert as Plaerdemavida, an incredibly complex character with many different facets throughout the show. Tirant himself, Quim Àvila, had a very strong stage presence and was very compelling as our protagonist.
Judit Nedderman has composed a score for the play, which she performs live on stage. Her songs provide context but also insight into the character’s thoughts, feelings, and motivations.
This production is a very approachable adaption of Tirant lo Blanc, that will take its legacy and modernize it for present-day audiences. It would also be incredible for it to transcend Spain’s boundaries to reach a wider audience.
Tirant lo Blanc will be closing at Teatre Romea on August 4th, but it is planning on doing a Madrid run soon.
★★★★
