From next Friday, March 13 to April 26, the Teatro Español de Madrid (calle del Príncipe, 25) presents the play La Malquerida, by the Nobel Prize winner in Literature Jacinto Benavente.
This contemporary version is directed by Natalia Menéndez, who was also responsible for the adaptation along with Juan Carlos Rubio.
Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, who debuted on the stage with this play at age 19 in the role of Acacia, now plays her mother, Raimunda. Complete this impressive cast Juan Carlos Vellido (Esteban), Lucía Juárez (Acacia), Goizalde Núñez (Juliana), José Luis Alcobendas (Eusebio), Dani Pérez Prada (El Rubio), Álex Mola (Norberto) and Antonio Hernández Fimia (Faustino).
The work tells how in the summer hacienda of Esteban and Raimunda, the wedding request of Acacia with Faustino is celebrated. When Raimunda became a widow, she married Esteban, hated by her stepdaughter. The tragedy begins when the groom is killed on the night of the marriage. The sons of Uncle Eusebius, father of the slain, accuse Raimunda’s nephew, who was the first suitor to Acacia, but others in the village know that he is innocent. One begins to hear a copla in the streets: “Anyone who loves Soto’s… feels sorry for life. Those who love her say… la Malquerida”. The fence tightens and hidden and forbidden desires begin to emerge. El Rubio, the manager of the farm, fuels rivalries between families. Raimunda determined to discover the truth, will not rest until she finds that light which, like fire, will destroy all her dreams.
La Malquerida, first published in 1913, is one of the most emblematic works by Jacinto Benavente, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1922. This new version celebrates the validity of its history, exploring human impulses and passions that transcend eras. Tickets can be purchased here.
