The end of the year at the National Theater was with a staging that recreates the successes of the Spanish group Mecano. A production by José Llanos.
When José Llanos saw the work in Spain, he immediately wanted to buy the rights to mount it in the Dominican Republic, but its author did not want to at that time. The year was 2005. 11 years passed and he rediscovered the work in Mexico. He had some changes, he negotiated it and managed to get the rights for the country.
What was seen, in replacement, on December 28 and 29, 2022 in the Carlos Piantini Hall of the National Theater, to a full house, was probably better than both stagings.
First, it is a stage with sufficient depth so that there is a better perception, with the help of technology, of what is happening on stage.
Second, some changes from the Dominican version make the work more dynamic.
From the first minute the scenographic extravagance impacts, with elements (planes) that ascend and descend, enter or exit, which gives the work a mobility, a visual rhythm, which allows more than three hours to pass as if it were a short time. .
Another element that supports this language that is being built is the lighting, which, together with the projection of images by mapping technique, provides novel elements not seen in the Dominican scene until this work was released on September 7.
In an extraordinary way, it is necessary to highlight the concatenation of the animated image at the time of the Colate crisis, masterfully assumed by Javier Grullón, in what could be his best performance to date.
But when talking about the performances, Akari Endo makes a perfect delivery, full of beauty, sensuality and excellent quality in both singing, dancing and acting. She turns out to be the roundest, cleanest character in the Hoy no me puedo risen sample collection. Her total surrender occurs in Lía’s painting.
At the beginning, José Guillermo Cortines, when he bursts into the room where Colate and Ana are, has a dialogue that at times becomes so hectic it becomes incomprehensible, a net into which Javier Grullón also fell. You have to take care of your diction. However, throughout the play, Memo makes an interesting display of acting resources in the role of Mario, achieving moments of high intensity, such as the scenes in which Colate locks himself in the bathroom, or the scene of the cemetery, among others.
Karla Fatule very well in her character as Ana, with a very successful final performance.
Juan Luis Espinal makes a Guillermo full of nuances and JJ Sánchez with Chakas presents one of his most convincing, organic and rich performances.
The character of Venancio, by Irving Alberti, although he is characterized by external image elements that diversify him, asked for greater internalization, to avoid the comfort of other characters already assumed previously. Especially when one knows the rich collection of personalities that he is capable of expressing.
Zeni Leyva and Pamela Sued, well in their characters as Patricia and Malena. With them, Las Pepas delivers comedy and carnivalism. The Ensemble, the Choir, the Dance Corps, all demonstrate the hours of rehearsals that had to go through to achieve what is perceived on stage.
Since 2013, a full-fledged musical has not gone on stage. This one, by far, is one of the best, and gives hope for a revival of the Dominican musical in a big way.
Some facts about the musical
Title: I can’t get up today
Authors: Nacho Cano and José María Cano
Plot: David Serrano
General production: José Llano
General direction: Maria Castillo
Technical direction: Fidel López
Musical direction: Junior Basurto Lomba
Choreographic direction: Natalie
Borsos
Vocal direction: Paola González
Lighting, screen and projection: Backstage Productions
Main cast: José Guillermo Cortines (Mario), Akari Endo (María), Javier Grullón (Colate), Karla Fatule (Ana), Pamela Sued (Malena), Irving Alberti (Venancio), Juan Luis Espinal (Guillermo), Zeny Leyva ( Patricia), José Luis Sánchez “JJ” (Chakas)
Synopsis: Mario and Colate, two friends from the provinces, travel to Madrid in 1980 in search of musical success. They get a job at Bar 33 and with two other musicians they make up the Rulé group, which wins a contest that involves recording an album. Colate will give his life a direction and Mario will focus on another.
