MADRID, Spain.- This Friday, September 6, the renowned Cuban director Raúl Martín brings to the stage of the Tower Theater in Little Havana, Miami, the play Butterwritten by the also Cuban playwright Alberto Pedro Torriente (1954-2005). With an outstanding cast, which includes the renowned actress Beatriz Valdes In the role of Dulce, accompanied by Héctor Medina as Pucho and Gilberto Reyes playing Celestino, this production is presented as an important cultural event in the city.
Butter It is considered Alberto Pedro’s masterpiece and addresses in a crude and, at the same time, humorous way the vicissitudes of a Cuban family during the Special Period, the severe economic crisis that hit the island in the 1990s.
The play takes place on New Year’s Eve, when three brothers, trapped in the desperation of scarcity, consider committing murder in order to survive. Through this plot, it reflects the profound consequences of the economic crisis on the daily lives of Cubans, a theme that, as the director points out, remains relevant today. “The circumstances (in Cuba) are the same, and, sometimes I think, worse,” says Martín in conversation with The New Herald, and he points out: “We set it up with the 1990s in mind, when the original plot takes place, and I find it very interesting because it takes you back to that time and you realise that the essentials haven’t changed.”
The themes addressed in the play, such as precariousness, the struggle for survival and family complexities, are timeless and can resonate both with the Cuban public who lived through that era and with younger generations.
One of the key decisions in this production, which is being produced by Beatriz Valdés Studio, was the inclusion of the young actor Héctor Medina in the role of Pucho, the younger brother of the family. According to Martín, this character represents “the view of today’s youth” and brings a new perspective to the play.
Considered a reference of Cuban stage creation of the last 20 years, Martín has worked on several occasions with the dramaturgy of Alberto Pedro. However, this is the first time he decides to mount Butter. “I always admired Butterbut I preferred to work with other works that had been done less often,” he reveals. On this occasion, the director has decided to give the production a different approach. “Alberto Pedro’s works are not realistic. They are full of extreme and delirious situations, with a logical dialogue within the lack of logic that characterizes the characters,” says the director.
As for his work with the actors, he stresses that the process has been “shocking.” He comments: “I have counted on their complicity, their contribution, their depth. It has been a collective work. In fact, there are scenic solutions that were their proposals.”
Raúl Martín also talks about his expectations: he hopes to “reach a broad audience, not only the intellectual spectator, which is large in Miami, and many Cuban theatre people who now live here; but also the most diverse spectators.”
The work will be in theaters on September 6, 7, 14, 20, 21 and 28, with performances beginning at 8:00 p.m.
