Opening in Barcelona this month is Cuentos Cruentos from Spanish theatre group Teatro Calánime, a witty and original Spanish musical that offers a contemporary re-imagining of classic children’s fairy tales.
Written by Dino Lanti and acted by Mariona Ginès and Joan Rigat, Cuentos Crentos offer up the Seven Dwarves living on unemployment benefits, an overweight Cinderella who cannot pay for her glass slippers, the Three Little Pigs who cannot find affordable housing, and Alice lost in Wonderland after partying too hard.
This unconventional musical turns the conventions of the genre on its head. Classic childhood characters and stories are reset within the struggles and challenges of modern-day life. It explores issues such as unemployment, the current precarious nature of work, the housing crisis and the global economic crisis.
Teatro Calánime was founded in 2007 by Dustin Guerri and Hugo Guzman, who met as students at the Instituto de Teatro in Barcelona. To date they have produced four shows, including The Tremendous Adventures of Captain Gazpacho and an adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart. These productions couple a magical quality with a comically dark touch.
Performed in Spanish, ‘Cuentos Cruentos’ will be showing at Poblenou’s Utopia 126 from March the 17th-20th. For tickets click here.
