Spain’s Francoist Broadway: American musicals in Madrid, 1955-1975

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14198/raei.2022.37.01

Keywords:

American Musicals, US Drama and Theatre in Spain, Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar

Abstract

This article traces the itinerary followed by the earliest Broadway musicals to be imported to Madrid in the 1950s and 1960s. Such innovative format dazzled critics and audiences, carving out a niche of enthusiastic followers that would grow larger over time. The handful of works borrowed in this period will receive attention, especially insofar as their reception is concerned. The final phase of the Francoist dictatorship brought an increased visibility to the form, as heated controversy surrounded the eventual importation and prohibition of titles such as Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar. In the case of the former, shows purporting to bring to Spaniards what the authorities had banned will be briefly discussed. The latter will receive closer attention. Both these plays will serve as privileged viewing platforms whence the tensions inherent to a moribund regime and its outdated cultural policies will become obvious.

References

ALONSO Tejada, L. 1977. La represión sexual en la España de Franco. Barcelona: Caralt.

ANONYMOUS. 1969. “Espectáculo orquestado”. S. P. Revista europea June 8: 50.

ANONYMOUS. 1969. “’Los fantástikos’, una joven comedia musical”. Mundo August 16: 44. https://doi.org/10.1029/EO050i002p00050-01

ARAQUE Pérez, Juan Andrés. El teatro musical en España. La revista (1925-1962). Unpublished dissertation. University of Valencia, 2009.

AYERS, Rick. 2011. “South Pacific – Musical Orientalism”. Huffington Post May 25, 2011. Web. Accessed Nov. 19, 2014. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rick-ayers-/emsouth-pacificem----musi_b_99550.html

BOLTON, Whitney. 1962. “’Funny Thing Happened on Way to Forum’ Deliciously Funny”. Morning Telegraph May 10: n/a.

BOLTON, Whitney. 1965. “’Man of La Mancha’ a Treasure – Best of Season”. Morning Telegraph November 24: n/a.

BURAYA, Luis Carlos. 1975. “Unos mechones de ‘Hair’ y después de ocho años”. Ya November 18: 41.

CAMPO, Ángel del. 1966. “’El hombre de La Mancha’”. Ya October 1: 28.

CAMPO, Ángel del. 1961. “ZARZUELA: Estreno de ‘La pelirroja’”. Pueblo October 9: 10.

DEGEN, John. 2000. “Musical Theatre Since World War II”. The Cambridge History of American Theatre. Volume Three: Post-World War II to the 1990s. Eds. Don B. Wilmeth and Christopher Bigsby. Cambridge: Cambridge UP. 419-465. https://doi.org/10.1017/CHOL9780521669597.006

DÍEZ Crespo, Manuel. 1975. “Ante el estreno de ‘Jesucristo Superstar’”. El alcázar November 6: 27.

The Fantasticks. By Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt. The Complete Illustrated Text Plus the Official Fantasticks Scrapbook and History of the Musical. 1990. New York: Applause.

FÀBREGAS, Xavier. 1990. Teatre en viu (1973-1976). Barcelona: Institut del Teatre / Edicions 62.

FARBER, Donald C., and Robert Viagas. 2005. The Amazing Story of The Fantasticks: America’s Longest-Running Play. New York: Limelight.

FERNÁNDEZ-CID, Antonio. 1960. “Comedias musicales”. Primer acto 21 (March): 20-21.

FERNÁNDEZ Montesinos, Antonio. 2008. El teatro que he vivido. Memorias dialogadas de un director de escena. Madrid: ADE.

FERRERAS, Juan Ignacio. 1955. “La Zarzuela”. Teatro 17 (September-December): 53-55.

FLUIXÁ, Matilde. 2007. El mundo es un escenario. Madrid: AISGE.

FRANCO, José María. 1966. “’El hombre de La Mancha’, en el teatro de la Zarzuela”. Ya October 1: 33.

GALINDO, Federico. 1969. “’Los fantástikos’, en el Reina Victoria”. Dígame July 29: 38.

GARCI, José Luis. 1972. “De la ‘Jesus Revolution’ a ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’”. Reseña 55 (May): 56-59.

GELBART, Larry. 2008. “Introduction”. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. London: Nick Hern.

GÓMEZ Picazo, Elías. 1970. “Una revista ‘pop’ en Piccadilly”. Madrid June 19: 23. https://doi.org/10.3989/ic.1970.v23.i221.3555

GONZÁLEZ Ruíz, Nicolás. 1964. “’Golfus de Roma’, en el Maravillas”. Ya April 1: 34.

GONZÁLEZ Ruíz, Nicolás. 1963. “’Kiss me Kate’, en el Alcázar”. Ya December 18: 35.

GOTTFRIED, Martin. 1976. “Will the ‘Godspell’ Work on Broadway?”. New York Post June 23: 48. Hair. The American Tribal Love – Rock Musical. 1970. New York: Pocket Books.

KESSELRING, Joseph. 1954. Arsenic and Old Lace. S. R. O. The Most Successful Plays of the American Stage. Eds. Bennett Cerf and Van H. Cartmell. Garden City: Doubleday and Company.

KISLAN, Richard. 1995. The Musical. A Look at the American Musical Theater. New York: Applause.

LAÍN Entralgo, Pedro. 1966. “Cervantes en Broadway”. Gaceta ilustrada December 24: 21.

LEITER, Samuel L. 1992. The Encyclopaedia of the New York Stage, 1940-1950. Westport: Greenwood.

LLOVET, Enrique. 1963. “Estreno de ‘Kiss me, Kate’, en el teatro Alcázar”. ABCABC December 18: 103.

LÓPEZ Sancho, Lorenzo. 1969. “’Caridad de noche’, comedia musical, en el Lope de Vega”. ABCABC February 17/18: 87.

LÓPEZ Sancho, Lorenzo. 1969. “’Los fantástikos’, en el Reina Victoria”. ABC July 24: 71.

LÓPEZ Sancho, Lorenzo. 1970. “Un ‘Hair’ para ‘padres de familia’”. ABC June 17: 84.

MARCO, Tomás. “El teatro musical en España hoy”. Revista de musicología X (2) (1987): 701-708. https://doi.org/10.2307/20795166

MARQUERÍE, Alfredo. 1968. “Estreno de ‘Caridad de noche’, en el Lope de Vega”. Pueblo February 16: 25.

MARQUERÍE, Alfredo. 1963. “Estreno de ‘Kiss me, Kate’ en el Alcázar”. Pueblo December 18: 24.

MARQUERÍE, Alfredo. 1964. “Estreno en Maravillas de ‘Golfus de Roma’”. Pueblo March 31: 26.

MARQUERÍE, Alfredo. 1961. “En la Zarzuela se estrenó la comedia musical ‘La pelirroja’”. ABCABC October 8: 109.

MARQUERÍE, Alfredo, and Antonio Fernández-Cid. 1955. “En la Zarzuela se estrenó la comedia musical ‘Al Sur del Pacífico’”. ABC January 26: 37.

MARSILLACH, Adolfo. 1970. “Teatro provocación”. Los domingos de ABC October 25: 17-19.

MARTÍ i Pérez, Josep. “La idea de ‘relevancia social’ aplicada al estudio del fenómeno musical”. TRANS. Revista transcultural de música 1 (June 1995): 1-13.

MARTÍNEZ Tomás, Antonio. 1967. “TEATRO ESPAÑOL.- Estreno de la comedia norteamericana CARIDAD DE NOCHE, de Neil Simon”. La vanguardia española November 28: 49.

MAST, Gerald. 1987. Can't Help Singin'. The American Musical on Stage and Screen. Woodstock: Overlook.

MATEO, Marta. “Anglo-American Musicals in Spanish Theatres”. The Translator 14.2 (2008): 319-342. https://doi.org/10.1080/13556509.2008.10799261

MCCLAIN, John. 1962. “Zero Mostel Guarantees a Merry Time”. New York Journal-American May 9: n/a.

MERINO Álvarez, Raquel. 2016. “Censura, traducción e integración en el teatro de la época franquista: José López Rubio, hombre de teatro y traductor”. Hispanic Research Journal 17.4 (August): 303-321. https://doi.org/10.1080/14682737.2016.1200854

MOLLA, Juan. 1974. “Un Jesús que canta. Godspell, de Tebelak y Schwartz”. El ciervo 249 (November): 19.

MONLEÓN, José. 1974. “’Godspell’, al fin”. Triunfo October 12: 65-66.

MOST, Andrea. 2000. “’You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught’: The Politics of Race in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific”. Theatre Journal 52.3 (October): 307-337. https://doi.org/10.1353/tj.2000.0091

NASSOUR, Ellis, and Richard Broderick. 1973. Rock Opera. The Creation of Jesus Christ Superstar. Portland: Hawthorn.

OLIVA, Ana. 2003. Antonio Banderas. Una vida de cine. Barcelona: Ediciones B.

OLIVA, César. 2006. “25 años de artes escénicas en España”. Escenium 2005. II Foro Internacional de las Artes Escénicas. Madrid: INAEM. 37-45.

OPPENHEIMER, George. 1965. “’Man of La Mancha’ Opens Off-Broadway”. Newsday November 23: 3c.

ORDÓÑEZ, Marcos. 2003. A pie de obra. Escritos sobre teatro. Barcelona: Alba.

PATTERSON, Mia. 2010. 75 años de historia del musical en España (1930-2005). Madrid: Fundación Autor.

PÉREZ de Olaguer, Gonzalo. 1975. “’Hair’ pasado por la censura”. Mundo April 19: 49.

PREGO, Adolfo. 1975. “’Jesucristo Superstar’, de Rice y Webber”. ABC November 8: 49.

REBELLATO, Dan. Theatre & Globalization. Houndmills: Palgrave MacMillan, 2009. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-230-36456-1

RICO, Eduardo G. 1975. “’Hair’, en Madrid (clamoroso estreno en el Monumental)”. Pueblo November 17: 31.

SMITH, Michael. 1960. “Theater: The Fantasticks”. Village Voice May 11: n/a.

SPEWACK, Samuel and Bella. 1953. Kiss Me Kate. A Musical Play. Book by Samuel and Bella Spewack. Lyrics by Cole Porter. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

TORRES Nebrera, Gregorio. 2006. “El teatro español entre 1970 y 1975”. Historia y antología del teatro español de posguerra. Vol. VII: 1971-1975. Eds. Víctor García Ruíz and Gregorio Torres Nebrera. Madrid: Fundamentos. 11-158.

VALENCIA, Antonio. 1974. “’Godspell’, en el Marquina”. Hoja del lunes October 7: 31.

VALENCIA, Antonio. 1975. “HAIR: en el Monumental (14-XI-75)”. Hoja del lunes December 1: 43.

VALENCIA, Antonio. 1975. “’Jesucristo Superstar’, en el Alcalá Palace (6-XI-75)”. Hoja del lunes November 10: 51.

VARIOUS. 1975. “Camilo Sesto, Collado, Redondo, Azpilicueta a la greña con Pablo Villamar y sus ‘ultras’”. Blanco y negro November 22: 86-87.

VILLAMAR, Pablo. 1975. “Los ‘ultras’ aceptan el desafío de Camilo Sesto”. Blanco y negro November 8: 78-79.

WASSERMAN, Dale, et al. 2002. Man of La Mancha. A Musical Play. New York: Random House.

WATT, Douglas. 1976. “’Godspell’ Reaches Broadway”. Daily News June 23: 26.

Downloads

Statistics

Statistics RUA

Published

27-07-2022

How to Cite

Espejo, Ramón. 2022. “Spain’s Francoist Broadway: American Musicals in Madrid, 1955-1975”. Alicante Journal of English Studies / Revista Alicantina De Estudios Ingleses, no. 37 (July):57-80. https://doi.org/10.14198/raei.2022.37.01.