The founder of La Fura dels Baus, from sleeping in a Malaga square in the 70s to making a big debut

La Fura dels Baus had been in Málaga before it was even known as La Fura. This was shared on Monday by one of the cofounders of the legendary Catalan company that revolutionized theater since its emergence in 1979. A year earlier, Carlus Padrissa had come here for his first performance, which was then a street act. "I traveled through Andalusia with a transverse flute and came to Málaga, where I slept in a public square. No one bothered me, so I know I am in a city that respects outsiders," recounted the theater director who returns to the south with the same spirit, but with a large 'furero' staging of one of Shakespeare’s classics, 'Sons. To be or not to be', co-produced by Teatro Cervantes and set to premiere in Europe in the capital of the Costa del Sol before starting its tour through Spain, Italy, and other countries.

"A total spectacle," warned its creator who also needs a special stage, thus the municipal theater has set up its rehearsal space at Bodegueros Street 38 for the premiere of 'Sons', which will be performed from May 28 to June 1 (48 euros single price). "What our shows do is lift people from their seats and interact; that's what La Fura has contributed to the world of theater," explained Carlus Padrissa, who assured that the new staging is "immersive as life, 360 degrees" and that rather than just attending and "watching a melodrama, you live an experience."

Expand

Actors swimming in large tanks, wrapped in mud or covered in plastic from which they emerge "as if born from a placenta" are some of the scenes that remain in the retina of this work, in which "the word and the visual come together and multiply." "At La Fura we are good with the image, but we must learn from Cervantes and Calderón how to use the word," assured the theater director who has paraphrased the latter author to link it to his new production as a motto: "Life is a dream, and dreams, dreams are 'Sons'."

The Digital Man

Through sensations and stimuli, the new staging of the Catalan company speaks of the to be or not to be of contemporary man. "The world is increasingly full of people who are not present because they are on their phones, but being is about taking the bull by the horns and that is what we want to teach through theater," commented Padrissa, who reminded that the audience is also part of the work that takes place in an open space, with digital sets, a surround sound system, 360-degree projections, and strobe lights. "The audience is on the stage, let's look at it that way, and the actors will surround them by land, sea, and air," summarized the cofounder of La Fura, who highlighted the "Mediterranean" character of the work and once again recalled his Andalusian journey 46 years ago. "After passing through Málaga, we set up the theater group and it was time to explode," reminisced the director, who was 19 years old at the time.

"People are not present because they are on their phones, but being is about taking the bull by the horns and that is what we want to teach through theater"

Carlus Padrissa

Theater director of 'Sons'

His words about those nights out in the open, playing the flute as a support for his journey and receiving the "respect" of the people of Málaga were echoed by the mayor of Málaga, Paco de la Torre, who was at the presentation and recalled that the city bears the motto "very hospitable" on its coat of arms. The mayor was pleased that the start of the European tour was in Málaga, while the executive producer of 'Sons', Carla Juliano, highlighted that the play had been performed in Buenos Aires, "where we were supposed to be for two months, but stayed for three."

The official noted that in this staging there has been a curious generational handover since many spectators who knew the Catalan group returned, but this time accompanied. "Parents came with their children and the experience has been very personal and many teenagers said: 'I have been reborn'." Meanwhile, the director of Málaga Procultura, Juan Antonio Vigar, referred to the "impact" that La Fura's passage through the city in the 80s had and encouraged the public to attend 'Sons' as it is "a spectacle to enjoy from within."