Gala Theatre premieres 'The Old Man, the Youth and the Sea'

Victor de la Fuente, left, and Horacio Pena star in Gala Hispanic Theatre's The Old Man, The Youth, and The Sea or El Viejo, El Joven Y El Mar/Photo by Stan Weinstein

 Who was Miguel de Unamuno?

If you, like me, are unaware of the Spanish poet, novelist, teacher, rebel, and a member of the "Generation of 1898," you'll want to get a ticket to the world premiere of The Old Man, The Youth and The Sea or El Viejo, El Joven Y El Mar now on stage at Gala Hispanic Theatre.

The scholar and sage bears some resemblance to Ernest Hemingway who receives "an homage" in the subtitle.


It is likely that Mr. Unamuno (1864-1936) and Mr. Hemingway (1899-1961) never met, but they shared a love of writing, of Spain (Mr. Unamuno's birthplace) and attitude towards war and its soul-searching after-effects.

In a Gala commissioning, playwright Irma Correa focuses on Mr. Unamuno's philosophies about existence and reason, in contrast to a youth's idealism.

The old man (Horacio Pena as Mr. Unamuno) and the young man (Victor de la Fuente) meet on the island of Fuerteventura in the Canaries where Mr. Unamuno has been confined because of political differences with the dictator Primo de Rivera.
 
Cisco, the young man, is assigned caretaking responsibilities for Mr. Unamuno who stays in one bedroom for the entire length of the play.

They exchange pleasantries and ideas about life, their conversations which stand opposite stark plywood walls, floors, and few pieces of furniture which permit no distraction from the dialogue.

The two discuss existence and meaning. Cisco dreams the impossible, that of capturing the largest whale in the ocean which he calls "Moby Dick." He holds and moves a chair up and down as he crosses the room, back and forth, much like a great fish would do while threshing through waves.

Unamuno's wife, Concha (Luz Nicolás), briefly joins her husband to provide support. Soon, Unamuno's friend and writer, Dumay (Delbis Cardona) arrives, bringing an elaborate plot to escape, but Unamuno will have none of it!

Later, the general (Cardona in dual roles) puts the squeeze on any escape plans, but the dictator issues a pardon to Unamuno who rejects it. The prisoner continues making other escape plans and encourages Cisco to join him.

The two strive to hold fast to their own ideals and searches, but they clearly are affected by the other's beliefs.

The night I attended, the audience gave the actors and crew a standing ovation, proud to be part of a performance which recognizes the talents of another Spanish writer. 

The director, José Luis Arellano, won the 2016 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Direction for Gala's Yerma which also received another Helen Hayes Award, for Outstanding Set Design by Silvia de Marta.  For the Old Man, Ms. de Marta designed the set and costumes which perfectly match the suit Mr. Unamuno is wearing in the portrait below.
 
By Ramon Casas i Carbó - Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, ePublic Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org


The proximity of the sea enabled sound and lighting designer Jesus Diaz to capitalize on its nature to produce visualization of a cabin at the shore.

The lighting is particularly effective as a single light from one side of the room casts a large shadow on the wall to create sharp black angles and define a prison.

A Gala statement quotes Ms. Correa:

"It is time to revive Unamuno....[who] represents the power of reason and empathy, and...Cisco, the dream of tomorrow, the drive of being alive...the General defends the fulfillment of duty [and]...unbreakable morality. He is Trump's wall." 

Mr. Pena, a persuasive Unamuno, is "Argentina's leading stage film and television actor," says Gala.  He and  Mr. de la Fuente (from Madrid) are making their Gala debuts. 
 
Others production team members are Iñaki Salvador, music composition; Elvira Zorita, video design; Alicia Tessari, properties; Catherine Nunez, stage manager; Devin Mahoney, technical director, Hugo Medrano, producer; Tony Koehler and David Peralto, production coordinators. 

Presented in Spanish with English subtitles. To read subtitles comfortably, English-only guests should request seating in rows E through H.
 
What: The Old Man, The Youth and The Sea or El Viejo, El Joven Y El Mar by Irma Correa

When: Now through March 3, 2019, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m.

Where: Gala Theatre, 3333 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20010.

Tickets: $48, regular; $30 for seniors (65+), military, students, and those ages 30 and under; $25, group sales (10 or more) with additional discounts for groups of 10 and more. Go online and order at GALA Tickets.

Student Matinees: February 28 and March 1 at 10:30 a.m. For more information, email education@galatheatre.org.

Duration: A little over two hours with one intermission

Metro stations: Columbia Heights or McPherson Square and take a bus or the Circulator from McPherson Square up 14th, or walk two miles and save money while using calories! Lots of places to eat along the way.

Parking: Available nearby

For more information: Call (202) 234-7174 and/or email info@galatheatre.org  

The production was made possible with support from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the Embassy of Spain in Washington, DC, SPAIN arts & culture, and Acción Cultural Española (AC/E) through its Programa de Internacionalización de la Cultura Española (PICE).
 
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Miro's 'Ladder' stands only at the National Gallery of Art

Joan Miro, The Hunter (Catalan Landscape) 1923-1924, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Purchase, 1936

Joan Miro: The Ladder of Escape at the National Gallery of Art is one of the few Miro exhibitions ever staged in Washington, D.C.

The show is big, filling seven galleries on two floors and ends on August 12. 

Many of the artworks by Miro (1893-1983) portray his responses to the horrors of the 20^th century: World War I, World War II, and the Spanish Civil War when he lived in France and Spain and witnessed atrocities and their effects.

Unlike those who suffer aftermath of turmoil and destruction over which they have little or no control and are unable for varying reasons to act, Miro, by way of his art, was able to release his emotions and rage.  He defined an artist as "one who, amidst the silence of others, uses his voice to say something."

Joan Miro, Burnt Canvas 2, December 4 - 31, 1973, private collection

The National Gallery quotes him from 1937:  "We are living through a hideous drama that will leave deep marks in our mind."

The curator for the show, Harry Cooper, head of modern and contemporary art for the National Gallery, said the artist used a ladder figuratively as a bridge between Heaven and Earth, between imagination and reality, permitting him to climb up to fantasy and down and become “politically engaged at times."

Hanging at the entrance to Ladder is Alexander Calder’s large and colorful mobile, commissioned for the opening of the East Building in 1978, an appropriate introduction to Miro for the two artists were good friends who shared "an impish quality, a sense of play, a love of adventure," according to critic Stanley Meisler writing in the Los Angeles Times in 2004. 

Joan Miro, The Farm 1921-1922, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Mary Hemingway, 1987

Upon entering Ladder, visitors face The Farm (1921-22) purchased by Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) as a birthday gift for his first wife, Hadley, and given by his fourth wife, Mary, to the National Gallery of Art in 1987. (One account said Hemingway and Miro used to box together.)

Farm was “a resume of my entire life in the country,”  Miro said.  The complexity of the work and its components, like most of the works in the provocative show, may leave visitors wrestling with questions and meaning, excellent ingredients for discussions which Curator Cooper said he hoped would be one of the show's effects.  It is unlikely that any guest will not have opinions about the contents.  (Check out Object of Sunset.  If this doesn't trigger conversation, what will?  Ladder may be a good place for a blind date, if talk languishes.)

Joan Miro, Object of Sunset, 1936,  Centre Pompidou, Musee national d'arte moderne, Paris, Purchase, 1975

The National Gallery calls Miro’s art  a combination of cubism, abstractionism, and primitivism which resulted in his own style, sometimes called detailism. 

Complementing the exhibition is a film with D.C.'s own Duke Ellington starring in a brief scene in a 17-minute National Gallery production which runs continuously in the show.  The Duke visited Miro in 1966 in France where he composed the impromptu “Blues for Miro.”

Also offered with the exhibition are talks, a catalogue, and a new Catalan menu created for the Gallery’s Garden Café by Chef José Andrés, the owner and chef at Jaleo.  It includes escalivada catalana, a roasted vegetable dish with tomatoes which is so tasty it alone, as an export item, might be able to rescue Spain from its economic doldrums, but not to go overboard.  Chef Andres has other delicious treats in store for diners.  You will not want to miss the food (in the West Building) or the show.

The exhibition was made possible by the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation, Buffy and William Cafritz, and the Institut Ramon Llull.  The Tate Modern in London organized the exhibition in collaboration with Fundacio Joan Miro, Barcelona, and in association with the National Gallery of Art.

Gallery talks are scheduled on these dates:

Joan Miró: The Ladder of Escape

July 31, August 1, 2, 8, 9 at 11:00 a.m.

by Diane Arkin, Adam Davies, David Gariff, or Sally Shelburne

East Building, Ground Level, Information Desk

(60 minutes)

What: Joan Miro: The Ladder of Escape

When: Now through August 12, 2012, Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sunday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Where: National Gallery of Art, East Building, Washington, D.C., 4th Street at Constitution Avenue, NW

How much: No charge

For more information: 202-737-4215 or www.nga.gov.

Metro stations: Judiciary Square, Navy Memorial-Archives, or the Smithsonian

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