The Sala Pequeña-Margarita Xirgu of the Teatro Español in Madrid (Plaza Santa Ana, calle del Príncipe, 25) hosts the premiere of El barbero de Picasso, a comedy written by Borja Ortiz de Gondra and directed by Chiqui Carabante, which can be seen until next July 20.
The work is based on the well-known relationship between Pablo Picasso (Pepe Viyuela) and his barber, Eugenio Arias (Antonio Molero), exiled in the French town of Vallauris. In a barbershop in that little corner of southern France, two exiled Spaniards talk about bulls, politics and art. A sharp and emotional comedy that invites reflection, from the humor, on identity, memory and sense of belonging.
Through this barbershop, Ortiz de Gondra, one of the most prominent voices in contemporary Spanish theatre, builds a microcosm of passions, customs and disagreements that refers to a Spain that no longer exists, except in the memory and conversation of those who yearn for it. In the words of the director, Chiqui Carabante: “That barbershop is a world full of passions and contradictions that exists only between those scissors and brushes. Crossing its gates, abroad, France, the country of freedom. But a country that will never be that of this barber and this painter. Because they are no longer French or Spanish. They are the citizens of that invented homeland that any exile builds”.
The work has an exceptional cast, with Antonio Molero in the role of Eugenio Arias and Pepe Viyuela as Pablo Picasso, along with Mar Calvo as Jacqueline Picasso and José Ramón Iglesias as Valdés. The artistic team is completed with the design of stage space by Walter Arias, the sound space is by Pablo Peña and the costumes by Salvador Carabante, in a show co-produced by the Teatro Español and Amor al Teatro. Tickets can be purchased at this link.
