More than two months ago, I wrote a post on a few recent stagings of Celestina I have not had the chance to attend and about which I felt curious. This time I am curious about the many stagings of Celestina that are or will be running this month in both Spain and Mexico (and in New York).
In first place, the Celestina of Proscenio Teatro had its premiere the last 30th of March 2019 at Porta 4 (Barcelona), and will be running once a week (on Fridays, at 21:00) until the next 28th of July 2019. Directed by Jone Arteagoitia, I do not know who is responsible for the text adaptation. However, given some photos I was able to find on the internet, I am sure this is the version of Celestina with more leopard print, leather and kitty ears ever. If this alone does not make you feel curious about it, I was informed that it involves music, songs and dance, as well.
On the 25th of May 2019 takes place the last performance of La Celestina (the other one was the last 13th of April) by the theatre company of the Corral de Comedias (Almagro). Antonio de León is the stage director and the adapter, and, if the dossier that completes the play does not lie, he has renounced to magic to portray Celestina as a connoisseur of the human psyche. The trailer shows a much more traditional version than the above mentioned staging by Proscenio Teatro, which fits very well the exceptional setting of the Corral de Comedias of Almagro, the only 17th-century theatre that has survived more or less unchanged until our days.
On the other side of the ocean, in New York, since the 8th of February 2019 it is possible to see another adaptation of Celestina at Repertorio Español, the only theatre in the city pemanently running theatre plays in Spanish and/or with a Spanish background (as far as I know). This time Leyma López is in charge (years ago, René Buch directed a further version for the same venue) and reviews state that the essence of the text has been kept to a great extent, despite the play being reduced to just 100 minutes. You still can buy tickets for the shows on the 10th and the 17th of May 2019.
From tomorrow to the 1st of June 2019, a further version of La Celestina will be running at the Sala Héctor Mendoza (Ciudad de México) by the Mexican Compañía Nacional de Teatro. With four weekly performances (Thursdays and Fridays at 20:00, Saturdays at 19:00 and Sundays at 18:00) and a free entrance, I can imagine it will be a great success. The poster is very likely symbolic of the reading of Rosenda Monteros, in charge of the text adaptation, so that I would expect a version in which Celestina’s skein (and Pluto’s spell) play a central role, as well as the metaphor of entanglement.
Finally, Celestina is one of the main characters of Mucho fuego prometéis, in which the old go-between and don Juan meet in a cabaret in hell, during the Carnival celebrations. Their dialogue is intended as an exhortation against gender-based violence, so that I do not think there will be much of the original text there. In any case, the play will be running from the 16th of April to the 19th of May, with three performances a week (Fridays at 10:00, Saturdays at 19:00 and Sundays at 18:00) at the Teatro Sergio Magaña (Ciudad de México). This means that, for ten days two pieces related to Celestina will be running simultaneously in Ciudad de México. I do not know if this has been made on purpose, to raise expectation, but it serves as a confirmation that this year April and May are quite celestinesque months.
As usual, I would be very grateful if someone could provide me with the text and/or a recording of the above mentioned shows (and, in general, of any performance related to Celestina), with research purposes. Invitations would be most welcomed but, unfortunately, I am not very mobile and I am really busy at the time.
