city at night

city at night

Monday, April 15, 2019

An Afternoon at the Theater

For quite some time a Spanish-language production of the musical "Les Misérables" has been playing in Mexico City.  Alejandro and I have been saying that we should go see it.  About a month ago he told me that its run was going to end in April.  I told Alejandro to go ahead and order tickets for the weekend after his birthday, and that it would be his birthday present.


"We're going away!"

He got tickets for Sunday's matinee.  We went to the Telcel Theater in Plaza Carso, an upscale development built by billionaire Carlos Slim in the ritzy neighborhood of Polanco.


  


Alejandro got tickets for the front row, the only good seats that were left.  We were a bit worried that the seats might be too close, but as it turned out, they were fantastic.  We could see every expression on the faces of the actors.

The production was incredible.  On one of Alejandro's trips to Ohio, I had taken him to a performance of the musical at Playhouse Square in Cleveland.  That was a great show, but this was even better.  Everything... the acting, the singing, the staging, the music (a live orchestra in the pit) was first rate.  This was no low budget, "little theater" production, but a show that was the equal of what one would see on Broadway or London's West End.  The actors who played the roles of Jean Valjean, Javert, Fantine and Eponine were especially outstanding.  I admit that I did not catch all of the Spanish lyrics, but fortunately I was familiar enough with the play that it didn't matter.  I don't know if was because of our front row seats, but the performance was incredibly moving.



In my youth I tried to read the Victor Hugo novel, but was unable to get through it.  This performance, more than the Cleveland production or the movie, has inspired me to buy a copy of the "Les Misérables" and give it another try.

6 comments:

  1. Fabulous! I have seen it in London and Paris, but never in Mexico City. What a wonderful gift.

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    1. It was as much a gift to myself as it was to Alejandro! We both enjoyed it immensely.

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  2. Is this close to the museum for Slim's late wife? have you been there?
    Museo Soumaya is a private museum in Mexico City and a non-profit cultural institution with two museum buildings in Mexico City - Plaza Carso and Plaza Loreto. Wikipedia
    Address: Blvd. Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra 303, Granada, 11529 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico

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    1. Yes, the theater is next door to the Soumaya Museum. I have been to both the Plaza Carso and Plaza Loreto locations. I have read that Slim has recently opened a third museum... an old house in the Roma neighborhood with period furnishings. That is on my list of things to see on this trip.

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  3. PBS is running a non-musical version Of "Les Miserables" currently on Sunday nights. We are two weeks into the series. It is EXCELLENT. I don't know if you can watch it on your computer on-line while you're there, but perhaps you can find it to watch once you get home.

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    1. I will wait for it to come out on Netflix. With all my traveling it seems like am never home to catch an entire Masterpiece Theater series at home on the TV.

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