Stage Spectacularrrrr

When Sevillan matador Ignacio Sánchez Mejías was gored to death August 11, 1934, by a bull named Granadino, Federico García Lorca was moved to echo the moment across time. “At five in the afternoon,” began his famous elegy to the gallant bullfighter. “There was no prince in Seville who could compare with him, nor sword like his sword nor heart so true,” the Spanish dramatist and poet wrote of his friend. Barcelona’s Octubre Teatral has fused Lorca’s stirring account of the tragedy with music by Spanish composer Enric Granados to create a dance-theater spectacle that brings the drama, lyricism, power, and violence of life in the bullring to the stage.

Directed by Jaume Villanueva, El Llanto opens at 8:30 p.m. at the Arsht Center, kicking off the 23rd International Hispanic Theater Festival with major motherland flair. “This year, for the first time in our history, we decided to celebrate Spain and reflect the vast cultural influence it has had on the world,” gushes fest organizer Mario Ernesto Sánchez. The festival runs through July 27 and features 11 productions from Spain, the United States, Brazil, Slovenia, and Peru. Ticket prices vary. Call 305-949-6722, or visit www.arshtcenter.org. For a full list of festival programming and venues, go to www.teatroavanti.com.
July 9-27, 2008