Spanish Theater Before the Civil War: Trends and Key Figures
Spanish Theater Before the Civil War
At this time, there was a distinction between commercial theater, which had great success, and theater that sought renewal, which was minor.
Commercial Theater
Jacinto Benavente: His works were characterized by moderation and meticulous realism in staging, focusing on the concerns of his audience, the gentry. He conceived the theater as an instrument of illusion and escape, excelling in dialogue. Notable works include “Vested Interests” and “The Malquerida.”
Theater in Verse
Following the ephemeral fashion of French theater, with historical themes and a modern style.
Comic Theater
Included music, singing, and dancing, enjoying great popularity. It was a theater with lyrical accompaniment, looking for the entertainment of the public. The genres of this type of theater are:
- Operetta: Presents frivolous issues and gives importance to visual aspects.
- Review: Emphasizes erotic elements and cosmopolitan environments.
- Vaudeville: Frivolous, light, and spicy comedy with complex intrigue.
- Comic Toy: Converts the mess into a mess, dispensing with any plausibility.
- Sainete: Based on popular conflicts in Madrid, dealing with love, jealousy, honor, and power.
- Astrakhan: Based on comic absurdity, actions, situations, and characters are subordinated.
Key Authors of Comic Theater
- Álvarez Quintero Brothers: Known for their works depicting Andalusian stereotypes, with smooth action. Notable works include “The Suit of Lights,” “The Yard,” and “Malvaloca.”
- Pedro Muñoz Seca: Creator of Astrakhan. Notable works include “Don Mendo’s Revenge” and “The Extremes Meet.”
- Carlos Arniches: Focused on farce, especially large and grotesque tragedy.
The Theater of Renewal
Unamuno
Proposed a drama that would lead the public to key issues, calling for a bare stage with few characters to bring to the surface the core of their passions. He emphasized interiority and always tried to find the ultimate reality through drama, using it as a means of knowledge. His best-known works include “Phaedra,” “Solitude,” “Rachel in Chains,” and “Brother John.”
Azorín
His theater sought experimentation and fought against the naturalist aesthetic in favor of anti-realist drama that included the subconscious and fantasy. He wanted to transform the technique and structure of the theater, emphasizing dialogue and enlightenment. His basic themes are happiness, time, and death. His most outstanding drama is the trilogy “The Invisible.”
Valle-Inclán
Valle-Inclán’s theater was characterized by its attempt to break from the theater of his time, leading him to create the Esperpento. In its beginnings, he applied modernism to drama, but instead of making poetic drama, he withdrew due to characters with realistic language and attitudes treated ironically.
“The Marquis of Bradomín” and “The Son of Souls” are two of his early works, which address the issue of adultery and have a decadent, fin de siècle heroine. He then conducted a series of dramas, the most important being “Comedias Bárbaras.” These works share themes, a personal atmosphere, and meaning, and are placed in a mythical, timeless Galicia. They portray an archaic society, and their main conflicts are lust, pride, cruelty, despotism, and sin.
“Comedias Bárbaras” is a trilogy consisting of “Eagle Crest,” “Romance of Wolves,” and “Silver Face.” Its characters embody basic impulses of human beings and move for obscure reasons.
Esperpento
As Anthony Zarrepas relates, it relates to the tradition of the grotesque, based on these elements: distortion of appearance, fusion of animal and human, and a mix of reality and dreams. All this produces laughter and bewilderment. It uses the technique of ridiculization and distortion of appearance, “as a reflection of a concave mirror,” according to Valle-Inclán. In the world of Esperpento, tragedy and travesty coexist, along with fear and fun, nonsense, hilarity, and consternation.
Themes: Art, comedy, buffoonery, nightmares, carnival, mockery, and failure. The characters are dolls and mannequins to symbolize the weakness of the human spirit. According to Valle-Inclán himself, there are three ways of seeing the world.