20th Century Spanish Theater: From Triumph to Renewal
General Situation of Spanish Theater in the First Third of the 20th Century
From the late 19th century until 1936, Spanish theater was closely linked to renewed models and experimental theater. As a result, we cannot conceive of a history of European drama in the first half of the 20th century in which the work of Valle-Inclán and García Lorca do not occupy a prominent place. This explains the theater scene in the first third of the century, whose different trends can be divided into:
a) The Theater of Triumphs
This trend was a continuation, in a way, of what was developed in the second half of the 19th century. It includes:
- Jacinto Benavente and his school
- Neo-romantic verse drama, heavily influenced by Modernism
- The theater of manners
Jacinto Benavente
Jacinto Benavente was a versatile writer, able to deal successfully with almost all theatrical genres such as comedy, tragedy, drama, or farce. Among his main features we can highlight:
- The wide variety of environments in which he based his work
- The abundance of human types and characters in his works and his wonderful characterization
- Almost perfect knowledge about all scenic resources and the ability to provide dramatic relief to the most inconsequential actions
We can also find in his poetry a touch of subtle and exquisite irony. Although undoubtedly the three words that best define his work are: realism, naturalism, and plausibility.
Benavente’s theater specialized in bourgeois comedy and high comedy. This theatrical genre is characterized by the reflection on stage of the conflicts of the bourgeoisie. It includes works like “The Unloved”.
Theater of Manners and Comedian
This genre responds to an idealized, self-indulgent, and topical folk life. It usually presents picturesque surroundings with moving popular types performing daily activities—nothing unusual. The humor is based on cute characters and colloquial language. The best representatives of this type of theater were Carlos Arniches, Benito Pérez Galdós, and brothers Serafín and Joaquín Álvarez Quintero.
Los Hermanos Álvarez Quintero
Their theater features nothing specific about the general comedy of manners, although it should be highlighted their expertise to represent popular dialogue and situational humor. Their casual and most important works were: A Cheerful Genius, Malvaloca, The Women of Puebla, The Cain, and Mariquita.
Benito Pérez Galdós
Benito Pérez Galdós is most famous for his novels. However, his theater, and in general his most important works, were written before the 20th century. However, during the 20th century he also has some relevance with the following features, some of them common to the rest of his work:
- Mastery of the use of popular language for dialogues
- Following realism, he eschews artifice and complication, and tends towards a clearer and more direct language
His plays in these years are: Electra, Mariucha, Grandpa, Barbara, Celia in Hell.
Poetic Drama
This genre was popular both before and after the war. Authors wrote in poetic prose and presented a friendly, ironic, and sympathetic vision of life. It is intimately linked to Modernism in all aspects, both formal and thematic. It combines humor, tenderness, and nostalgia. The characters profess a passion for fantasy and happiness through love or otherwise. The main topics are:
- Conflict between reality and fantasy
- Inability to live in illusion
- The defense of love, understanding, and freedom
The most outstanding authors in this kind of theater are:
Manuel Machado
His works spoke of his land rather than the classic themes of Modernism. Here too, reflected in several of his works is the way of speaking of the people of Andalusia. His plays in this period are: The Duchess of Benamejí, La prima Fernanda, Juan de Mañara, The Adelfas. Although his most important play was undoubtedly Lola Goes to the Ports.
b) Attempts at Theatrical Renewal
Incorporating technical advances such as electric lighting, new scenic possibilities, and the emergence of film as art, Spanish stage renewal is enhanced by the theoretical contribution of concerned intellectuals who transferred the theater beyond the barrier of its bourgeois audience and became a cultural commitment to the working classes. In Spain, to talk about theater renovation in the first third of the 20th century is to talk about Valle-Inclán and esperpento.
Ramón María del Valle-Inclán
Valle-Inclán’s theater is usually divided into five periods:
- Modernist Cycle: Works such as The Marquis de Bradomín (1906) and The Wilderness of Souls (1908).
- Mythic Cycle: Divine Words (1920).
- Farce Cycle: Puppet Show for the Education of Princes.
- Grotesque Cycle: Consists of Bohemian Lights (1920 and 1924) and the volume called Mardi Gras (1930).
- Final Cycle: In this last stage, Valle-Inclán brings his previous dramatic proposals to an end: the presence of the irrational and instinctive, dehumanized characters schematized as grotesque puppets, and the distorting technique of esperpento.
Generation of ’27
This generation is characterized by the union of the classical and the innovative, without sacrificing either of the two. The style is characterized mainly by metaphor and image. In terms of subject matter, they deal with love, social concerns, intimate concerns, and death in the tragic sense of life. However, the group’s theatrical production is abundant.
Federico García Lorca
A renowned writer of importance in 20th-century Spanish theater, Lorca’s theater is a poetic drama in the sense that it revolves around core symbols—blood, knife, or rose—that takes place in mythical spaces or has transcended realism and that, finally, faces substantial problems of existence. His style is marked by symbolism, and the marked influence of Lope de Vega and Calderón de la Barca in the use of verse in his dramas.
His plays are given to themes of Greek fatalism in a very modern Andalusia, yet always giving an undeniable real dimension to the environment and conflict. Among his works: Mariana Pineda (1927), Blood Wedding.
Post-War Theater
After the war, authorities thought that theater could be a good balm to try to overcome the moral and psychological wounds that the war had produced. Thus began the performance of plays of very poor quality, which, however, were wildly applauded by an enthusiastic audience. In addition to the representation of new plays, largely conditioned by censorship and based mostly on ideological exaltation, classics of Spanish literature were resumed, mainly those belonging to the Golden Age, as well as works by translated and adapted foreign authors.
Comedies
This period includes authors such as Alejandro Casona and Max Aub, who were in exile. One notable work is Neither Poor nor Rich but Rather the Opposite (1943), written by Miguel Mihura in collaboration with the author from Jaén, Antonio Lara de Tono.
Realistic Social Criticism
During the fifties and sixties in Spain, a kind of theater developed that tried to reflect social reality as it was presented daily with a clear objective of denunciation. It is an engaged theater that dispenses with fantasies and idealizations. It condemns the harsh working conditions, the dehumanization of the bureaucracy, the situation of the workers, and social injustices. Thus, theater becomes the loudspeaker of the lower classes. Obviously, this kind of theater was frequently censored, as Franco’s regime did not tolerate criticism.
Antonio Buero Vallejo (1916-2000)
Antonio Buero Vallejo was sentenced to death by the Franco regime. In prison he met Miguel Hernández, of whom he drew one of the most famous portraits of the Alicante author today. In 1949, Buero was pardoned and that same year, he premiered a brand new play, one of the most important in our literature: History of a Staircase. It tells the story of three generations of neighbors, their hopes and failures, as a symbol of life throughout the country.
Commercial Theater During the Fifties and Sixties
In addition to Jardiel Poncela, Mihura, Luca de Tena, and Pemán, other younger writers began to publish during these two decades in order to reach the public.
Alfonso Paso
He began by creating a theater with a clear social intent, with works such as A Cad’s Trial (1952) and The Poor Things (1957), but soon his works began to shape the tastes of bourgeois audiences accustomed to representations of this kind, such as Come and Tell Me Lies (1961). His works are characterized by the grace of the dialogue and the uniqueness of the situations and characters.
Antonio Gala
One of the best known playwrights today, Gala cultivated all genres. He often presents works dotted with poetic and humorous touches. His success from the first performances is undoubtedly due more to the public than to the critics. He began his theatrical career with The Green Fields of Eden (1963), tinged with social and romantic elements, which features a family that is forced to live in the family vault.
Experimental Theater in the Late Sixties
From the final years of the sixties and throughout the seventies, some authors framed in the social drama of withdrawal began to seek new ways away from realism of expression. Thus arises a kind of theatrical art that aims to renew drama. The most important features of this new theater are as follows:
- The authors seek to create a total spectacle, in which the plot takes a back seat to sound effects, lights, body language, projections on large screens, etc.
- Techniques from other shows such as circus, puppet theater, cabaret, and fashion shows are included.
- The realistic view of social drama disappears in favor of a symbolic theater, far from reality, without forgetting protest and denunciation: the symbols and parables deal with the harsh reality of the final years of Franco’s regime.
- The characters tend to be symbolic, representing concepts or institutions more than people.
- Oral communication is as important as, or more important than, verbal communication.
Fernando Arrabal
Arrabal is the best-known Spanish author abroad today. Exiled in France, he wrote in both French and Spanish, with great success. His plays are characterized by a mixture of the surreal, the grotesque, and the absurd, always in search of provocation. He covers topics such as eroticism, opposition to war and tyranny, or the absurdity of religion. His works were banned during the Franco dictatorship. Since the democratic transition he has had some success, although there have been few performances of his plays, and those that have been made may not have achieved the significance expected.
From the Eighties to the Present
In the last twenty years, Spain has seen a proliferation of new authors, who have mingled with the existing ones. Thus, we find a variety of theatrical trends, with established authors who represent the same time as other novice playwrights. Playwrights as important as Sastre, Antonio Gala, Francisco Nieva, and Fernando Arrabal have seen their works continue to be performed, to a greater or lesser extent, today. The most prominent authors of recent years are:
José Sanchis Sinisterra (1940)
Author of an extensive body of work, he triumphed in 1986 with Ay, Carmela!, a play based on the Spanish Civil War. Other important works are Odds and Ends or Lice and Actors (1980).
Ana Diosdado (1940)
Daughter of actors, she has been in contact with the theater since early childhood. One of her most outstanding successes is You May Also Enjoy It (1973), which deals with a controversial issue today: the way advertising uses women. Another important work is The Eighties Are Ours (1988).