20th-Century Spanish Theater: A Transformation
Early Influences and Changes
Theater holds a unique position as a literary genre, with its sender-receiver relationship witnessed in a shared space. It’s also a business influenced by diverse interests. In Spain, bourgeois tastes often clashed with calls for social and ideological relevance. Entrepreneurs sought profitable entertainment, while playwrights sometimes resisted these pressures.
In the late 19th century, there were attempts to move away from the melodramatic theater popular in courts. Playwrights aimed to depict real issues with less rhetoric. However, it was Jacinto Benavente who successfully shaped the new theater, creating a formula that balanced entertainment with a dose of social critique.
Costumbrismo and Poetic Drama
Costumbrismo, a style emphasizing the picturesque aspects of specific regions, also gained popularity. It featured archetypal characters, colloquial language, humor, and a conservative ideology. Key figures include Carlos Arniches (Don Quintín el Amargao) and the Álvarez Quintero brothers (El Patio).
Poetic drama, marked by historical themes and traditional values, was cultivated by playwrights like Eduardo Marquina.
A Call for Renewal
Some authors, like Unamuno and Azorín, saw theater as a tool for exploring human problems. Unamuno advocated for change, while Azorín focused on dialogue. A 27-year-old took a combative stance, attempting to bring theater to the people, but faced rejection from established circuits.
Valle-Inclán and the Esperpento
The true innovators of the Spanish scene were Ramón María del Valle-Inclán and Federico García Lorca. Valle-Inclán’s originality, radical approaches, rich language, and diverse themes set his work apart. Often relegated to “theater to read,” his work evolved from elegant modernism to a fierce critique of reality.
His early work aligned with modernism, followed by the mythical cycle and farcical comedies. This led to the esperpento, a genre mixing tragedy and burlesque. Luces de Bohemia, his masterpiece, defines this genre, characterized by contrasts, rich language, poetic dimensions, and shifts in time and setting. Valle-Inclán stands as a major figure in Spanish literature.
García Lorca and the Tragedy of Existence
Lorca’s theater rivals his poetry in stature. His powerful personality masked a deep unease, a pain of living, which he expressed through tragic fates, loneliness, madness, and death. His characters grapple with both metaphysical and social conflicts, often highlighting the clash between individual and society, norm and nature.
His influences ranged from classical forms and Greek tragedy to Shakespeare and avant-garde theater. He blended verse and prose, folk songs, and vivid dialogue, creating a language where poetry and reality intertwined.
Lorca’s work is rich in symbols, metaphors, and emotional connotations. His theatrical development can be divided into:
- Early works (1920s): El Maleficio de la Mariposa (Symbolist) and Los Títeres de Cachiporra (puppet farce).
- Avant-garde experiments: Así que pasen cinco años and El Público, reflecting a personal and aesthetic crisis.
- Mature period: Seeking wider social engagement, Lorca created his renowned Rural Trilogy: Bodas de Sangre, Yerma, and La Casa de Bernarda Alba. These share common themes: sexual conflict, women as central figures, rural Andalusian settings, and tragic endings.