Spanish Theater in the Early 20th Century
Spanish Theater in the First Half of the 20th Century
The Spanish theater in the first half of the 20th century faced a dilemma: the drama requires viewers, but some are reluctant to the shocks that playwrights propose. Two main approaches emerged:
- Propose technically well-built works, with commercial and bourgeois characters, appealing to the viewer’s liking. This was the triumph of the so-called “critical theater.”
- Create an avant-garde theater that surprises the viewer with a high critical load. This anti-bourgeois orientation required an innovative theater audience, intellectually well-prepared to understand and appreciate the innovations.
Triumphant Theater in Spain
- Continuation of 19th Century Realism: Jacinto Benavente conformed to mainstream tastes, censoring only minor vices. His work, “The Vested Interests,” is a prime example. He moved away from the grandiloquent Romantic theater, thanks to his fast-paced language and his ability to dose intrigue, though his work had a low critical profile and lacked universality.
- Poetic Theater in Verse: Mixing aspects of Romanticism and a very conservative Modernism, with constant allusions to the loss of the Spanish Empire. Notable authors include Villaespesa, Marquina, and the Machado brothers.
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Comic Theater:
- The Álvarez Quintero Brothers: Unpretentious authors who created works with an Andalusian atmosphere, sharp and witty, with a clear mastery of dramatic technique and resources, and a cheerful mood.
- Carlos Arniches: Creator of the “grotesque tragedy,” where the laughable and the touching combine. Notable work: “Mademoiselle de Trevelez.”
- Pedro Muñoz Seca: From Cadiz, he created a new genre, the “Astrakhan”: a parody in verse of post-Romantic drama. Notable work: “Revenge of Don Mendo.”
Innovative Theater
- Unamuno: Wrote a theater “of ideas,” where the text and the conflict of the characters are paramount. There is little action and few scenic elements. Notable work: “Fedra.”
- Azorín: Also attempted theatrical renewal, but with limited success.
- Jacinto Grau: His work is now beginning to gain appreciation. Notable work: “The Lord of Pygmalion.”
- Jardiel Poncela and Miguel Mihura: Leading exponents of “another generation of ’27.” They substantially renovated Spanish comedy drama. Both gained greater consideration after the Civil War.
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Valle-Inclán: His work also extends into the novel. “The Sonatas” are considered the best contribution of modernism in prose; “The Memoirs of the Marquis de Bradomín” features a Don Juan who is ugly, Catholic, and sentimental; “Tirano Banderas” is a mature novel inspired by the tyranny of the dictators of the time. His theater is characterized by its renewal of the Spanish scene. Several of his works have had their dramatic value denied, linking them instead to the narrative. “Comedias Bárbaras” is one of his major plays. His production starts in 1899 with “Cenizas” and closes in 1927 with “The Captain’s Daughter.” We can observe several cycles:
- Mythical Cycle: Constituted by works such as “Divine Words,” set in a Galician space where primitive and timeless human passions and irrational forces undergo a process of mystification.
- Farce Cycle: In works such as “La Marquesa Rosalinda,” he selects a more stylish and ridiculous space: gardens, roses, etc.
- Esperpento Cycle: In this case, the mechanism is the opposite of myth: demystifying the reality of the writer’s present. Notable works include “Luces de Bohemia” and “Los Cuernos de Don Friolera.” “Luces de Bohemia” revolves around the last journey of a tragic hero, the poet Max Estrella, through an unworthy, unfair, and empty world, accompanied by his partner Don Latino de Hispalis. The “esperpento” cycle, despite its limited commercial success, represents a significant innovation in Spanish theater.