Territorio Flamenco – live performance- Teatro Lope de Vega – Madrid

A quality flamenco show on the big stage with careful attention to staging. This is what we saw the night of April 12 at Madrid 's Lope de Vega Theater in an event that ought to set precedents.

José Manuel Gamboa was the emcee on this spectacularly adorned stage with curtains from the currently featured musical at the Lope de Vega theater. Excellent lighting gave a certain sense of orderly disorder to a group of different styles of chairs. On this occasion the flamenco academic did not make use of his customary sense of humor, for the obvious reason that he came to ask a minute of silence for the victims of March 11th, adding some words for the cantaor from Jaén who just departed. As Don Juan Valderrama's passing had taken place only four hours earlier, the majority of the audience had not yet heard the news, and people audibly caught their breath giving eloquent testimony to the sincere affection this historic artist so rightly receives.

La Susi

After due introduction, Israel Galván. The dancer from Seville who uses new concepts and forms with his dance, was dressed in red for a subdued siguiriya to which Arcángel progressively added his voice with Diego del Morao accompanying. Next up was Susi whose demeanor, wardrobe and stage presence were reminiscent of a Hollywood diva. Accompanied only by keyboard, her voice was more flamenco than ever for the Police song “Roxanne”. This woman could do cinema if she wanted.

The overwhelming sense of having seen a Broadway
musical with flamenco ambience right on Madrid 's Gran Vía.

Many people have frequently commented on Miguel Poveda's good taste and knowledgeable way with alegrías, and it is certainly true. With a perfect sense of compás and appropriate vocal delivery the Catalonian singer was accompanied by Diego del Morao and Juan Carlos Romero. Alegrías was also the opening for Diego Carrasco, brimming with compás. Noteworthy was the backup singing of Ana María González and Carmen Amaya, and the participation of Israel Galván.

Carmen Linares, that lady whose image ought to appear in dictionaries to illustrate the word “señora” turned voice into poetry por soleá expressing verses by Alberti about the dove who lost its way. And Arcángel comes back to the stage with fandangos de Alosno that brought ‘oles'. Miguel Poveda appears for a duet with Arcángel to accompany Susi's version of “La leyenda del tiempo”. Poveda remains to accompany Israel Galván and Alfredo Lagos before Diego Carrasco's characteristic bulería “de los toreros”, then Carmen Linares once again and Arcángel's rendition of La Bien Pagá.

Carmen Linares

Susi por bulerías, with Arcángel and Poveda doing palmas, a long set timewise which nonetheless flew by all too quickly. An Argentine tango of Gardel's interpreted by Poveda which could have been done with accordion, but José Mestre's keyboard was more than enough. Carmen Linares por bulerías, and a compás orgy with Diego Carrasco. “Hello Dolly” to bulerías where each performer participated. Arcángel showed his ability singing and playing for himself, and then dancing as well. Likewise Susi let her hair down singing and dancing barefoot to bulerías, a little dance by Poveda, another by Diego del Morao, even Linares did her simple bit, and Carrasco directing the whole show. And thus came to an end the show, the lights went up, the applause died down and we had the overwhelming feeling of having seen a Broadway musical with flamenco ambience right on Madrid's Gran Vía. Ole!

Alfredo Lagos, Arcángel, Diego Carrasco, Miguel Poveda, La Susi, Israel Galván, Carmen Linares

Jacinto
González

Photos: Rafael Manjavacas