Little comedies

PalmaIt must not have been easy at all to choose a couple of plays with which to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of a theatre company of such relevance as Iguana Teatre. A group that is not history, I would say it is "the history" of contemporary theatre in the Islands, for the simple reason that they were the ones who paved the way for many others to begin their journey. They have chosen Sa varietat de sa locura to commemorate the event together with the Teatre Principal. A piece that perhaps is not the most representative of their style, it could have been many others among the more than fifty they have put on stage, but, on the other hand, it is irrefutable proof of their versatility, of this habit of moving through all levels of theatre, from the classics to the most avant-garde, from an investigative perspective, with their always inquiring and respectfully groundbreaking seal, which is what led them to this series of interludes that make up such a peculiar show.

Five Mallorcan interludes with countless characters that form a theatrical kaleidoscope that operates at breakneck speed. A genre cultivated by no few of the most illustrious writers, from Cervantes to Calderón, Lope de Vega, Molière, and Beaumarchais... among many others. Those collected by Pere Fullana have no known author, but they are undoubtedly the fruit of a tradition that had its peak moment at the beginning of the 17th century with El retablo de las maravillas. This finding is a way of recovering and claiming a chapter in the history of theatre, with a whole series of archetypal situations and characters, which at first glance may seem simple, but which are a satirical, timeless, and meticulous portrait of the human condition. Fullana, also director, and Carme Planells, the scriptwriters, have opted for a simple stage, but at the same time ingenious, with a series of hatches and trapdoors through which characters and objects enter and exit like a vodevil avant la lettre. Those in charge of turning, for the occasion, this fun theatrical merry-go-round are Rodo Gener, Salvador Oliva, Alícia Garau, and Carles Molinet, who change roles with the fluidity essential to give consistency to the argumentative lightness of these tastes, small and tasty, which besides making you smile, make you think.