Spanish Humorous Theater: Mystery, Satire, and Post-War Comedy
Principal Theme: A Family Mystery Unveiled
Based on the mystery of a family that keeps Mariana Ojeda waiting for answers, this typical theater comedy of its era narrates the adventures of Ferdinand and his fiancée, Mariana. Their respective families become entangled in the strange circumstances surrounding the death, years ago, of Eloísa, a woman who bore a suspicious resemblance to Mariana.
Secondary Themes and Character Dynamics
Mariana Briones and Fernando Ojeda’s Relationship
- Mariana desires a touch of mystery from Fernando, while Fernando wishes to tell the story of his love for her, the mystery of Mariana’s past, but cannot.
- Clotilde (Mariana’s aunt) and Ezekiel (Fernando’s uncle): They flirt like two lovers, even when Edgardo, Mariana’s father, seems oblivious to their antics.
- Edgardo (Mariana’s father) and Clotilde: He loves her to the point of madness, but Clotilde feels nothing for him.
- Fermín (Edgardo’s servant) and Leoncio (aspiring to Fermín’s post): After many years of service, Fermín discovers he is succumbing to some of Edgardo’s madness and must retire early, so he prepares Leoncio to take his place.
- Ezekiel with his cats: These cause great confusion, as Clotilde believes he is experiencing things with “the women.”
- Micaela and her dogs: They play “Saturday night thieves” and continuously patrol and guard the house.
- Other minor subplots involve trips and interactions with additional characters.
Humorous Theater in Modern Spanish Literature
In modern literature, post-war humorous theater emerged around a group of comedians associated with the magazine The Quail, employing a fairly intellectualized satirical humor. Several authors, such as Enrique Jardiel Poncela and Miguel Mihura, wrote this kind of humorous theater. Their works exploited the comic possibilities of language through misleading and nonsensical puns. However, often, the humor masked a bitter and skeptical view of reality. The leading authors of this genre are:
- Enrique Jardiel Poncela (1901-1952)
- Miguel Mihura (1906-1977)
Enrique Jardiel Poncela: A Pioneer of Absurdist Humor
Enrique Jardiel Poncela (Madrid, October 15, 1901 – February 18, 1952) was a renowned writer and playwright. His work, related to the theater of the absurd, moved away from traditional humor towards a more intellectual, improbable, and illogical approach, breaking with the traditional naturalism prevalent in Spanish theater of the time. Consequently, his work was attacked by much contemporary criticism, and his humor offended more sensitive spirits. Yet, he opened a range of comic possibilities that were not always well understood. To this, one must add his subsequent problems with Franco’s censorship. However, over the years, his stature has grown, and his works are still performed today, with numerous films also based on them. He died of cancer at 51, broke and largely forgotten.
Jardiel Poncela’s Originality and Style
Jardiel’s originality lies not so much in the selection of topics but in creating bizarre, ridiculous, or incredible situations. This is achieved through irony, lively dialogues, misunderstandings, surprises, and contrasts of styles and registers, often blending the sublime with the vulgar. His novelty is basically characterized by:
- A chain of improbable situations, bordering on the theater of the absurd.
- Extensive and rigorous use of linguistic comedy, without resorting to obvious jokes.
- A tight dramatic construction that allows for carefully dosed surprise effects and a wise alternation of pure intrigue with humor, sometimes framed as a detective novel or a literary pastiche.
- The cultivation of intellectual humor: witty, sharp, and sarcastic, often approaching aphorism. In any case, the most ridiculous or absurd situations always mask a harsh and bitter criticism of society, reflecting his disenchanted view of reality.
Examples include Angelina or the Honor of a Brigadier (1934), a satire of the sentimental and post-romantic world of the late 19th century, and Mother (Senior Drama), a critique of naturalistic theater.