Tiempo de Carnaval

Abstract

Tiempo de CarnavalOn Friday, March 9, 2012, Murcia's Cambalache Teatro, under the experienced direction of Francisco Garcia Vicente, delighted the Chamizal audience with their performance of Tiempo de Carnaval. Their production consisted of the comical compilation of three entremeses, including Luis Quinones de Benavente's El abedejillo, Agustin Moreto's El poeta, and Pedro Calderon de la Barca's El entremes de Carnestolendas, that depict the jovial and playful character of Carnival through practical jokes and metadramatic allusions. The festive nature of Tiempo de Carnaval began even before the curtain was raised, as masked actors and musicians welcomed the arriving public to the performance. The company seamlessly connected the three short works, or aperitivos, as their director called them, creating the impression of a single dramatic work while highlighting the merry and playful atmosphere of Carnival.Cambalache Teatro skillfully linked the three entremeses. The comediantes musicales' live performances of several brief upbeat songs frame the play. Composed specifically for Tiempo de Carnaval by a music faculty member of Murcia's Escuela Superior de Artes Escenicos, the songs were presented before the beginning of the production, between each piece, and upon its conclusion. The company also created original dialogue between the poet (Ricardo Sierra Arqueros) and his friend Qaime Lorente Lopez), two characters from Moreto's El poeta, to situate the dramatic action and serve as a transition between the three entremeses. The production utilized a simple but effective stage design to create the three environments: a spotlight in front of a closed curtain for the transitional material, a simple banner advertising the presence of a traveling group of comediantes in front of a closed curtain for El poeta, and a bright backdrop with a door-like opening serving as a comfortable and noble home for El abedejillo and El entremes de Carnestolendas. Casting choices aided in creating the sensation of a single play by having certain characters participate in multiple roles in the drama, such as the poeta and his friend. Furthermore, the costume design also contributed to the creation of a unified work, as all characters remained in the same costume throughout the play with the exception of the articles of clothing they put on during their makeshift comedia in El entremes de Carnestolendas. The transitional action, uncomplicated set, and consistency of casting and costuming demonstrated the connection between the three entremeses, creating the perfect environment for a production treating the themes of Carnival.Cambalachee conception of the production created the sense of a single dramatic work through the order of the entremeses and the progressively more elaborate practical jokes in each one. The first entremes, and first act of the production, El abedejillo, commenced with the four female characters announcing their excitement to play a game that depended on an innocent passerby in honor of the festivities. …