Author: P.J.L. Domínguez
Sanchis Sinisterra, one of our most
relevant personalities from the theater, hit the nail on the head,
which is extremely difficult to do, with Ay,
Carmela!. He came up with a perfect melodrama that
immediately became part of the collective imaginary of the Spanish
people. It was a great idea to turn this play into a musical
[..]
The show is supported by the music
(a successful combination of the copla and songs of current
authors), the dramaturgic skills of the female narrator and
Valentín Álvarez's talent in the lighting and projections. The
latter are often overdone, but in this case they are indispensable
to set the story in the right scenario: the horrible tragedy of our
Civil War. Marta Ribera and Inma Cuesta are two excellent singers
with powerful personalities though very different from each other
in terms of dramaturgy, performance styles and image, In fact, they
are so far apart that they don't compete but actually complement
each other. Whereas Ribera adjusts to the international standards
of the musical very well, Cuesta performs magnificently in the
purest Spanish tradition. Javier Gutiérrez plays the role of a
Paulino full of affection and doesn't overdo things as a clown,
which is the risk of his role: being too clownish. He is fantastic
in his final monologue. I don't normally cry when I go to the
theater, but on this occasion, I had to conceal my tears, for half
of the show, from the person sitting next to me.
