Cesc Casadesús has achieved the most difficult yet. The director of El Grec wanted to make a special mark on each of the editions he directed. Today begins the 47th edition, the seventh with him at the front and, for the occasion, the genre of a dozen shows is that of the circus, a discipline with little presence in the city. “We bet on the circus, at a time when it is increasingly difficult to label shows in a single discipline”, says Casadesús.
Proof of this is the inaugural show, tonight at the Montjuïc amphitheatre, presented by a company of acrobats and a female choir. Is it circus? It is a concert? It is the Grec, a festival of international reference and that until August offers 88 proposals. Next, we offer a selection, a dozen, among the most unique among the international ones, in chronological order. The list has been prepared with the collaboration of theater critic Juan Carlos Olivares.
‘The pulse’
Gravity
The Australian acrobat company directed by Darcy Grant and the female voice choir directed by Buia Reixach hybridize their art in a piece where they interrelate and act at the same time. Throughout the show, the 24 acrobats and 36 singers remain on stage. The musical composition, which contains classical and popular pieces, is by Ekrem Eli Phoenix. An opening of the Grec in a big way. (Greek, 29/VI-1/VII)
‘The Tracers’
Nathan Paulin is the tightrope walker who will travel the sky of Passeig de Gràcia
The choreographer Rachid Ouramdane has conceived this show in which, in the case of Barcelona, ??the tightrope walker will walk on a cable that will connect the Portal de l’Àngel and the Gran Via. A couple of hours before, the poets will speak. Martí Sales, Maria Cabrera, Josep Pedrals and Andreu Gomila will recite poems on demand, according to the requests of the public on the topics they want. (Paseo de Gràcia, 2/VII)
‘Confessions’
Company A Zeldin
The young British playwright Alexander Zeldin signs the conception, creation and direction of this theatrical production, inspired by the story of his mother. Born in Australia, she emigrated to England, to London, where she raised her family. Her story, from her birth to death, through family and love, is a short story to explain the social changes and personal and collective emancipation at the end of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st. (Lliure Theatre, 2-4/VII)
‘Beethoven 7’
Sasha Waltz
The German choreographer proposes two pieces with the same message: the desire for a new and free world. Beethoven dreamed of it when he composed her seventh symphony and it is still dreamed of today by her and the Chilean composer Diego Noguera. The show presents two choreographies, the first with electronic music and the second with Beethoven’s symphony performed by the Liceu orchestra. ( Grec, 5-6/VII)
‘One night at the golden bar’
Alberto Cortes
The Malaga author signs the concept, the dramaturgy, the text and the interpretation of this show, and César Barco Manrique provides the music. Another hybrid proposal, which combines poetry and dance. In the performance, Cortés draws the audience into the nightlife of bars and affective relationships to talk about gender identity and the many faces that love can take. (Joan Brossa Foundation, 8-9/VII)
‘now’
Robert Wilson, based on the works of Alfred Jarry and Joan Miró
Three geniuses come together in this production by Es Baluard, Museu d’Art Contemporani de Palma. The Texan director takes the text of the French playwright and the iconography created by the Barcelona painter for the version of La Claca and reinterprets this story about the madness of power through tyranny, arbitrariness, cruelty and the absurd. On stage, performers and puppets present an unclassifiable piece. (TNC, 15-16/VII)
‘Riding on a cloud’
Rabih Mroué
A small-format show that has been touring the world for ten years, captivating audiences everywhere. The Lebanese actor, playwright and visual artist signs this piece, which mixes reality and fiction. In 1987, at the end of the Lebanese civil war, Yasser, Rabih’s little brother, was shot in the head, which did not kill him but left scars, including seeing duplicate images. The work explores his life and that of his country, through all kinds of disciplines. ( Espai Lliure, 17-18/VII)
‘It’s me?’
Circus Ronaldo
Based in Belgium, the Ronaldo lineage, born in the 19th century, continues to renew the world of the circus. Now it is the sixth and seventh generations that arrive at the Grec, in a circus show that explores new paths. On stage, Danny and Pepijn Ronaldo, father and son, show their love for games, music and the circus, but one represents the circus of a lifetime while the other tries to get the new generations to share this heritage with the real world. The eternal struggle between tradition and modernity, here in the first person in a circus family. (Marcat de les Flors, 20-21/VII)
‘David Lang: Prisoner of the State’
OBC and male choir of the Catalan Orfeó Youth Choir and the Palau Chamber Choir
To celebrate the Beethoven year in 2020, L’Auditori together with other international partners commissioned the New York composer David Lang with a new creation: a powerful reinterpretation of the German composer’s opera Fidelio. In his version, Lang questions romantic idealism in the face of 21st century political mores. ( Grec, 22/VII)
‘Ink’
Dimitris Papaioannou
The Greek choreographer signs the conception, direction, sets, costumes and lighting of this show, which he performs with Šuka Horn, two people from different generations. “An octopus, plastic, water, two bodies in motion…”, reads the synopsis, and the public will decide if “it is the sentinel of a dark world and a visitor who disturbs its existence, or they are a father and a son, or embody youth and maturity…” ( Teatre Lliure, 24-26/VII)
