“La Odisea” (The Odyssey), featuring El Brujo, in the Teatro Condal
Del 14 de gener al 9 de febrer l’actor duu a l’escenari barceloní un espectacle en què recrea el clàssic grec, amb música antiga en directe i al·lusions a l'actualitat política espanyola
For the first time in 10 years, Barcelona stages will host a performance by Andalusian actor and director Rafael Álvarez, El Brujo. The piece in question is none other than Homer’s Odyssey, a performance in which Álvarez maintains the soloist style which has characterised his work in recent years, a European tradition which dates back to erstwhile court jesters, one of the best known of which is the Italian Nobel Prize winner Dario Fo.
On this occasion, El Brujo adapts, directs and interprets the Homeric text with the idea of restoring it to its essentially oral condition while including a criticism of the current political leaders. As he has done before with Lazarillo de Tormes, El Quijote and Saint John the Evangelist, Álvarez has selected a well-known classic of cultural significance as the basis for his own particular re-interpretation.
The piece saw its debut in the Classical Theatre Festival of Mérida in 2012 to critical and public acclaim. In La Odisea, three on-stage musicians interpret contextual Eastern, Turkish, Byzantine and Indian pieces using early traditional instruments. The production includes lavish doses of humour in a direct, vibrant and populist performance ideally suited to the interpretative qualities of Rafael Álvarez, El Brujo.