“Alicia” Cía. Los Ulen, Rosario Toledo y Kiko Veneno Sunday, September 19th. 2004. 2100h. Teatro Lope de Vega, Seville     Program XIII Bienal de Arte Flamenco Seville

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Dance: Rosario Toledo, Manuela Ríos, Manuela Reyes, Daniel Navarro, Pedro Córdoba. Cante: José Valencia, David Palomar. Guitar: Miguel Iglesias, Paco Iglesias. Percussion: Javier Viana. Scriptwriter and director: Pepe Quero.

Sitting in Seville’s Lope de Vega theater the night of Sunday, September 19th, in my cushy seat facing the stage as is logical, I was inundated with that uncomfortable sensation we’re all familiar with: “what am I doing here?” It’s not a state of mind that augurs well for an easy review. We’ve commented on occasion about the admirable diversity of shows included in this Bienal de Flamenco de Sevilla, but all things have a limit and it’s possible the idea of mounting a flamenco show based on Lewis Carroll’s classic “Alice in Wonderland” might just have gone too far. Nevertheless…

You could say the first number, which looks like something from an old-style Broadway musical, is entertaining if not flamenco.

You could say this is a light-hearted work in which all the actors, because beyond dancing, singing or making music each of the characters is interpreting a part, do their best to find the theatrical angle without entirely abandoning their flamenco personalities. In what other flamenco show can you see guitarists wearing bow-ties and waistcoats and the singers in absurd hats? “Rinconete y Cortadillo” explored the comic possibilities of flamenco, but in that aspect at least it was a long way from this surrealistic fantasy.

You could say Rosario Toledo is a splendid dancer and singer José Valencia gets right into his part unabashedly offering one of the show’s highpoints when he doesn’t even go out of character to sing tonás.

The characters do their best to find the theatrical angle without entirely abandoning their flamenco personalities

You could say there are some charming moments, like the White Rabbit’s bulerías dance with the singer’s voices overlapping one another, or the Caterpillar who sings malagueña while an outsized hookah belches thick clouds of smoke and Alicia’s shrinking episode is represented by a large bata de cola which only seconds earlier was a short dress.

You could highlight the alegrías in which the flavor of Cádiz blends with the image of British schoolchildren at play, or the ability with which the five dancers juggle various roles.

One could admit to having been genuinely concerned when the compás of siguiriyas was marked by the sound of sharp snapping scissors brandished in both hands by the Queen of Hearts and her entourage…eight pairs of scissors in movement, with swift turns and heelwork…this is no dance, this is a circus act!

We’ve gone through Greek and Shakespearian tragedies done to flamenco – perhaps now we must brace ourselves for a series of classic juvenile stories. The mind boggles…Pinocchio? (the personality of papa Gepetto, the old shoemaker, could be explored)…the Roadrunner? (persecution and the rewards of perseverance)…Batman? (the cape!)

You could say this work does not belong in Seville’s Bienal de Flamenco except for a juvenile audience, just as scheduled for three days this month at the Teatro Alameda.

Text: Estela Zatania
Photos: Manny Rocca