Mar i Cel, Teatre Victoria Barcelona Review
Written by Laura for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
This past Thursday, Mar i Cel (Sea and Sky) premiered in Barcelona. The show originally opened in 1988 and it has had two revivals, in 2004 and 2014. However, this production will be its last, as Dagoll Dagom, its creative company, will be closing its doors once the season is over.
In Mar i Cel, we meet Saïd, a Muslim pirate captain, and Blanca, a Christian girl, getting to know each other years after the expulsion of the Moriscos in 17th century Spain. As they fall in love, the musical explores themes of religious and cultural prejudice, tolerance, peace, and love. Think Romeo and Juliet, but with pirates!
This new production features Jordi Garreta as Saïd, Alèxia Pascual as Blanca, and Eloi Gómez as Ferran, along with other incredibly talented artists. Jordi Garreta truly impressed me with his outstanding voice, shining especially in his lower range, and with an emotional vulnerability that I really loved seeing in Saïd. Alèxia Pascual sounds truly perfect as Blanca, with a sweet-sounding voice and flawless vibrato. I would have liked to see a bit more rawness in her acting at times, but that’s just a personal preference; her performance was very solid. I also really loved Eloi Gómez as Ferran; he’s perhaps the show’s most underrated character, as he doesn’t gain prominence until the end of the second act, but his character arc is very interesting. Eloi Gómez brought a humanity and empathy to Ferran that I found very touching.
The pirate ship is a character in itself. It sails an imaginary ocean so seamlessly that, at times, it almost looked as if the floor itself was moving with it. Screens showing the ocean and sky make it even more immersive. While perhaps overused in some other scenes, the screens truly hit the mark when the ship is sailing. At the end of the show, the ship even got its own final bow as everyone sang along to one of the musical’s most famous songs.
There were a few technical issues with microphones, but that’s understandable, as the show is just premiering. However, one thing that bugged me a bit were the chains: as the Christians are apprehended, they wear chains on their wrists and ankles. Whenever the actors moved in the dark, you could hear the clinking of the chains as they settled into position, which I found completely distracting from whatever else was happening onstage.
I’ve never seen a more dedicated audience. There was so much clapping and cheering that the actors had to pause after songs for the applause to die down. You could see the cast getting more and more energetic as they felt the crowd's growing energy, which made the audience even more passionate in turn. At the end, there was a huge standing ovation and even some impromptu singing. I can’t imagine the elation the cast must have felt after such a heartwarming welcome!
If you’re travelling to Barcelona this year, I highly recommend giving Mar i Cel a go, especially because this is your last chance! It will be playing at Teatre Victòria until February 2nd.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
