How do you summon up the magic of a fairy tale in a live performance? On the stage, you have none of the high-tech wizardry of film; no green screen or CGI. Where the Fairy Godmother in the most recent Cinderella movie could simply wave her wand and, bibbidi-bobbidi-boo, transform a generic pumpkin into a carriage covered with a blinding amount of bling, you can’t really expect the same instantaneous effect in the Guangzhou Opera House. As a result, theater folk have to get a lot more creative.
For La Maquiné, the solution was fairly simple: puppets – together with clever lighting, music by Ravel and ingenious set design. With these multidisciplinary tools in hand, the company has been able able to cast a spell of enchantment over audiences, particularly with award-winning The Forest of Grimm.
The minds behind the sorcery are Joaquín Casanova and Elisa Ramos, who met at university in Granada while studying fine art and bonded over their similar preoccupations. “We both were interested in using theater space as a means of research and expression for plastic arts,” says Casanova. “We wanted to bring something different and at the same time offer our knowledge to create our own language. We aim to perform pieces practically without text and using music as a helm to build a movement score on stage.”
While Casanova handles directorial duties behind the scenes, Ramos flits about on stage, manipulating wolves made out of plastic sheeting, stuffed frogs, meter-tall mannequins, a giant foot and numerous other weird and wonderful creations. With these objects (and no words), she facilitates a fantasy world that is as charming as any number of computer-generated scenes.
“Puppets are a plastic tool that we use precisely when something… can't be played by an actor or actress,” says Ramos. “An actor or actress can neither fly nor become magically as small as the Tom Thumb of our show.”
The attraction of The Forest of Grimm for kids is obvious – what child doesn’t want to see a cheeky Little Red Riding Hood rile up the Big Bad Wolf? It is the creativity that is used to construct these illusions, along with a smidgeon of nostalgia, that is more likely to appeal to adults. Critics back in Spain certainly seem to think El Bosque de Grimm, as it is known in its native tongue, is a winner: it received the award for best family show last year at the Premios Max – Spain’s equivalent to the Tony Awards.
La Maquiné has produced pieces for some of the Iberian Peninsula’s most prestigious venues, including the Teatro Real and the Gran Teatre del Liceu, as well as touring to France, Morocco, the Netherlands, Ireland and Chile. “We have begun to be known outside our country,” notes Casanova, “and that’s why we are organizing more international tours.”
He and Ramos recently began casting their eyes towards Asia, wondering how their work would be received so far afield. On August 7 they’ll find out, as their most popular production comes to Guangdong.
“The Forest of Grimm was conceived as a play with a universal language, and we are thrilled to see [the response] in a culture so different from ours,” enthuses Ramos. “We are fans of Chinese culture, which is characterized by its simplicity and elegance – which are elements that we try to pursue in our pieces.”
Presenting classic stories with a modern twist, The Forest of Grimm has a vitality akin to the memorable fairy-tale illustrations of Gustave Doré and Arthur Rackham, filled with fun vignettes that add up to a magical event.
// The Forest of Grimm is being performed August 7-9 at 8pm and on August 8 at 3pm, RMB80-280. Guangzhou Opera House.
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