For this year's excursion into the world of zarzuela, Thalia Spanish Theater's director Angel Gil Orrios turned to two works of genero chico (short variety). The first, La Gran Via (1886, with later modifications), satirized the delays and cost overruns in constructing Madrid's famous central grand boulevard in the 1880s. Eight women with icon-laden signboards extolled their architectural treasures on as many older streets and locales to a bemused Caballero (Rafael Lebron), who in reality has fathered the new street and a Passer-by (Fermin Suarez). An obstetrician, Don Comadron (Jorge Ros) arrives just in time to deliver the new street, referred to in this show as the Broadway of Madrid.
Like a kind of subplot, the scenes from another genero chico zarzuela, Agua, Azucarillos y Aguardiente ("Water, Sweets and Spirits", 1897) find their way in between. This latter concerns a penurious poetess Asia (Clarizza Pereira) who will be forced to marry a moneyed cousin if suitor Serafin (Fermin Suarez) cannot convince her mother (Soledad Lopez) regarding his seriousness (and produce part of his expected inheritance). Since the setting is also old-time Madrid, the back and forth is not so jarring. The combination makes for a rather talky evening, but when singing and dancing take over, the charm proves infectious.
Zarzuela of this type (review plus arch melodrama) requires above all a large cast of strong character actors with tolerable voices. On this count, the Thalia has enough local talent to draw on, but Jode Romano's simplified choreography is a challenge for the performers; a pity, because composer Federico Chueca with Joaquin Valverde built his scores around varied dance numbers. Once in a while an antique word slips by, but otherwise the text is a modern adaptation of the Madrileno Spanish original of a century ago. áRosino Serrano's orchestration for four enthusiastic musicians offers a pragmatic compromise in scale, as are director Angel Gil Orrios's set and lighting designs.
Unfortunately the Spanish musical tradition of zarzuela is no longer part of a living tradition, having languished under Franco's disfavor and finally extinguished by modern indifference. Gil Orrios clearly had to put forth a superhuman effort to research, arrange and assemble this show, but memorable participants are few. Celeste Mann demonstrates superb voice and characterization as a pickpocket (Rata) on the Gran Via. Her companions Pedro de Llano and Melvin Vazquez effectively round out the trio of petty criminals. Belle Clarizza Pereira's charm matches her beau's comic earnestness (Fermin Suarez, Argentine soccer star Gabriel Battistuta look-alike but with leaden singing voice).
Most amazing are four side-street playing children with catchy names and costumes by Marta Gomez to match. Coreen Corniel, Stephanie Rivera and Lenny Herrera showe model stage deportment, but honors must go to the budding professionalism of Daniela Palacios, who celebrated her fourth birthday during the run.
