In times of uncertainty and disenchantment, the Catalan company Cascai Teatre lands in Buenos Aires with a proposal that promises to shake the soul: A Certain Quixote, a free and desacralized version of Cervantes’ classic that, far from being a mere adaptation, becomes a cry of idealism necessary to endure the darkness of contemporary realism.
The play, which will be presented on Saturday July 4 and Sunday July 5 at the Teatro Empire, proposes a wild and emotional journey through the pages of the most widely read novel after the Bible. But beware, don’t expect a traditional staging: here theater mixes with humor, music, and audience participation, in a cocktail that seeks to restore Quixote’s purest essence: that of a mad dreamer who refuses to surrender to mediocrity.
The plot begins with a literary lecturer (Marcel Tomàs) trying to give an erudite talk about Cervantes. But everything goes to hell when a Galician electrician (Toni Escribano) bursts onto the scene to fix a lighting problem. From this clash between theoretical knowledge and manual labor, the quixotic duo is born: the idealist and the realist, the one who dreams and the one who keeps his feet on the ground. Thus, amid laughter and reflections, the characters embody the most emblematic scenes of the novel: the knighting, the search for Dulcinea, and the final duel in Barcelona.
But what really makes this production explode is its commitment to audience participation. In a twist that pays homage to the second part of Don Quixote —where Cervantes plays with the reality of his own success— spectators are called to go on stage to be part of the madness. Because, as the play says, we can all be a little quixotic in this life.
The dramaturgy, by Marcel Tomàs and Susana Lloret, achieves a brilliant synthesis of a monumental work. Without losing the depth of the original, the text approaches colloquial speech and relies on audiovisual resources: projections, a handheld camera that focuses on models with Playmobil figures, and live songs with Peruvian cajón. All in service of keeping the literary spirit alive without falling into solemnity.
And in the middle of it all, the Galician electrician becomes the voice of the most acidic realism, throwing brushstrokes of our dystopian present. Because A Certain Quixote is not just a tribute to the past: it is a mirror in which to look at ourselves. In a world that seems determined to destroy all utopia, the play reminds us that fiction, the ideal, the madness of believing in something better, are the only antidote to hopelessness.
In the end, Alonso Quijano dies, but Quixote triumphs. Because the character, born in writing, remains eternally alive. And we, the spectators, leave the theater with a dose of idealism that helps us move forward.
Technical sheet: Direction and performance: Marcel Tomàs. Performers: Marcel Tomàs and Toni Escribano. Creation: Marcel Tomàs – Susana Lloret. Voice-over: Pep Cruz. Duration: 1h 15 minutes. Performances in CABA: Saturday July 4 and Sunday July 5 at 8:30 p.m. at the Teatro Empire. Then, the play continues its tour: July 12 in Mar del Plata (Teatro Payró) and July 14 in Montevideo, Uruguay (Centro Cultural de España).
Para mí esto es un misil directo al corazón del sistema. Mientras los oligarcas nos quieren dormidos con su realismo de mierda, Cascai Teatre nos invita a soñar como trinchera. Soñar es revolucionario, porque el que sueña no acepta esta realidad de hambre y explotación. ¡Viva Quijote, viva la lucha!
Para mí esto huele a cuento chino. Vienen estos catalanes a vendernos idealismo mientras acá laburamos como burros. El Quijote es un loco, como estos progres que nos quieren lavar el cerebro con su resistencia. ¡Basta de joder con el arte y pónganse a laburar! Viva la patria y el sentido común.