Theatrical piece “La Ternura”, that forgotten word

MEXICO CITY (Process).- The original idea of ​​the play was a tribute to Elizabethan theater as an introduction to Shakespeare’s work, but the result was much better, a criticism and a call for attention to echo different “struggles”, such as gender equality , inclusion and “new masculinities” through a word and its almost forgotten meaning: “Tenderness.”

With the backing of seven years of editing in Madrid, Spain, and even a film adaptation, “La Ternura”, written by the Spanish Alfredo Sanzol, is already on stage at the Nuevo Teatro Libanés, with performances since the end of March (every Friday, Saturday and Sunday without season closing date).

The piece takes place without much paraphernalia (be it scenery, music or costumes) and tells the story of a queen and her two daughters who arrive on a seemingly lonely island. The queen hopes that they do not run into the life conditioning imposed by the men of the 19th century.

However, a woodcutter with his two children has lived on that island for years, who fled disenchanted with the women.

As soon as the three realize that they are not alone, they dress as men to “protect themselves,” and that is where the confusion and trouble begin, but also where the meaning that gives the work its title comes in.

Premiered at the La Abadía venue in the Spanish capital on April 7, 2017, “La Ternura” is classified as a comedy with an Elizabethan theater structure, brilliantly developed by William Shakespeare in productions such as “The Tempest” and “Twelfth Night.” , in addition to having certain elements that are reminiscent of the plays “As You Like It”, “Much Ado About Nothing”, and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.

After the premiere of “La Ternura” and its tour of the Iberian country, the production received the Valle Inclán Prize for Playwriting, the Max for Best Theater Show, and recognition from the Actors’ Union for one of its Spanish actresses.

The genius implemented by the so-called “Swan of Avon” is the basis of this presentation that brings up different current topics such as inclusion, gender equality, the defense of feminine values, new masculinities, rights won by the LGBTQ+ community, ecological defense , traditional medicine and even culinary art.

According to Sanzol himself, the work raises the impossibility of protecting ourselves from the damage that love produces, as read in a statement about the work:

“Because if we want to love we have to risk suffering. Not even parents can protect their children from the suffering of life, because that jeopardizes living a full life.

“The work speaks of the strength and courage to love. Tenderness is the way in which love expresses itself. Without tenderness, love is not seen. Tenderness is caresses, listening, small gestures, smiles, kisses, waiting, respect, delicacy. “A society without tenderness is a society at war.”

Mexican tenderness

With these credentials, “La Ternura” arrives in Mexico under the co-production of Morris Gilbert and Mejor Teatro, Max Antúnez as executive producer, and César Riveros in production supervision.

The direction and adaptation is carried out by one of the most respected and recognized directors, both theater and television, Benjamín Cann, accompanied by six experienced actors on stage: Alejandro Calva, Mónica Dionne, Arap Bethke, Carla Medina, Pierre Louis and Luisa Guzmán Quintero.

In interview with Processa kind and attentive Benjamín Cann (Mexico City, 1953) explains how the work came into his hands and what he saw in accepting the challenge:

“Morris proposed it to me last year, around June-July he gave it to me to read and I liked the text for different reasons, one is the intelligent compilation of Shakespearean positions that the author makes, who tries to use that text in the most possible moments. act, tenderness, as a means to cohabit.

“The author initially wanted to make a didactic work to talk about Shakespeare and it became many more things, hence its success; Another thing that interested me is that he talks about how human beings by nature choose to separate themselves by not accepting the other at all, but he doesn’t stay with that, but rather digs there.

And he states:

“In this country, and I would say rather in this radicalized world where ‘if you are not with me you are against me’, the theme of is something we live every day. There are the Israelis and Palestinians, the Ukrainians and Russians, and the very politics that we live in now, everything is a polarization.”

The director reports, however, that it seems like a “seemingly silly comedy,” its intention has to do with human connection:

“When I read it, it moved me, beyond comedy, that anything is possible if the actors are feeling that need, that of communication to find themselves in society, and on top of that it touches on generic differences and with a lot of freedom.

“I had months to study it, I saw some recordings of scenes from Madrid but not all, the important thing is that I worked with the freedom that it is not just a comedy to die of laughter and that’s it, it is a comedy in which we can show how clumsy we are. “We can become like human beings by rejecting each other, believing that by isolating ourselves we can find paradise, and no, that is not the case.”

Also on the creative team of the production are Estela Fagoaga, in costume design; Emilio Zurita, set design; Cinthia Muñoz, image design; María Vergara, lighting design; Alberto Campuzano, audio design; and Paola Nallely Palacios García, in the props.

–It is a work that was born in Spain and with Shakespeare’s idea behind it, but what elements were adapted for Mexico?

–The original style was preserved, because it takes place in 1588, it does not take place in Mexico but on an island between Spain and England, all the characters are Spanish and the author tries to parody the way of speaking of that time, which was done in the adaptation was to simplify it, remove elements of Spanish from the Golden Age to bring it closer to us, Mexicans.

“There are no swear words, which also seemed important to me, even when an actor there put some in, he got scolded, because that’s not what it’s about, the style itself doesn’t allow it, it has a precise cadence and rhythms and that’s what we worked with, always with the most important reference: that at the end of the day things do not happen in Spain, England or Mexico, but in the imagination of the actors.

“The elements are very basic, in the style of old theater, without sophisticated effects. If some animal sounds in the forest, it is the actors themselves who make the sound, it is the idea of ​​Elizabethan theater and theater in its essence. Things are true because the actor believes them to be true and his imagination takes us as spectators to that reality.”

Also in an interview with Alejandro Calva (Mexico City, 1968), recognized actor in television (“La Reina del Sur”, “Señora acero”, “El maleficio”), cinema (“El atentado”, “El Infierno”, “ Cantinflas”) and series (“Los simuladores”, “Until I met you”, “The heroes of the north” and “Ojitos de Huevo”), with a history of more than 30 years, it is one of his great works in theater.

Dice a Process:

“I don’t conceive theater without appropriating what you do on stage, in my case the role is that of The Woodcutter, a very ‘man’ man, who somehow clashes with that feminine universe that I have and that somehow all men have.

“I had to resort to all the men and all the testosterone possible to cast myself in the role of a man who curiously was the father and mother of his children, and that’s where I dug and that’s where I went, and it turned out to be a very encouraging role.”

In his opinion, it is a review of gender roles, what they are and how they are lived in a hetero-normative culture:

“If we break the mold we discover many possibilities, so, although you see three men and three women on stage – a very fine acting ensemble –, with Elizabethan outfits and very own dialogues, it is at the same time the most contemporary work possible, it is a humorous review of human beings, their roles and genders.

“And if there is something that I realized, it is that when people solemnly take the classics, and review them anthropologically, you find a struggle of the sexes, of tenderness, of expression of love, which can take on different meanings. It has always been there, we just needed to face it.”

–And for you, what is tenderness?

–It is a word that is scary, that is associated with the purest and most beautiful, like a baby or a child, but that is lost or blurred among young people and adults, because how can you be tender if you are older? How! Impossible! They associate you with weakness, when it is the opposite, it is the meaning of great strength and goodness. We would all like to show a little tenderness in this life. This world, this country, this society would be something else, we must recover it, I urge you all.

The actor says that he is fully working on “La Ternura” although he has other projects for this year, such as the filming of a movie that he cannot yet talk about, and the second season of a series on Netflix.

The play premiered at the end of last March at the New Lebanese Theater with performances on Fridays at 7 and 9 p.m.; Saturdays at 6 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 5 and 7 p.m.