La Zarzuela recovers its legendary production of ‘La del manojo de rosas’

In 1990, almost thirty-five years ago, the Teatro de la Zarzuela premiered a production of ‘La del manojo de rosas’, by Pablo Sorozábal and booklet of Francisco Ramos de Castro and Anselmo Cuadrado Carreñostage directed by Emilio Sagi. That montage – which discovered singers like Carlos Alvarezone of the great international baritones of recent years – was received with unanimous praise for his modernity and what it meant then for the scenic renewal of a genre, zarzuela, which was crying out for it. Today the Coliseum on Jovellanos Street recovers that production once again (it is the sixth revival) and presents it from November 20 to December 1. The main novelty is in the pit, with Alondra de la Parra – in her first zarzuela – leading the Orchestra of the Community of Madrid, owner of the theater, of which she is its artistic director. The performances are dedicated to the Granada maestro Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez, artistic director of the Teatro de la Zarzuela between 1985 and 1991, who died this summer.

In the distribution, Vanessa Goikoetxea and Beatriz Diaz they alternate in the role of Ascension; Manel Esteve Madrid and David Menendez They will do it in the character of Joaquín; the comic couple, Capó and Clarita, play her respectively Jesus Alvarez Carrion and Joselu Lopez and Nuria García Arrés and Rocío Faus; The rest of the cast is made up of Gerardo López, Ángel Ruiz, Enrique Baquerizo, Milagros Martín, Abel Vitón, Ángel Burgos, Joseba Pinela, Francisco José Pardo, Ricardo Rubio and Alberto Ríos.

“‘The One with the Bunch of Roses’ has a very special meaning for me for many reasons,” says Sagi. It was my first zarzuela work in Spain, so it was my presentation in Madrid. Although it was a commission from the then superintendent of this theater, Jose Antonio Camposwith this montage I got closer, if possible, to the figure of my uncle Luis Sagi Velafor whom the authors created the character of Joaquín.

The zarzuela, premiered on November 13, 1934 – exactly ninety years ago – in the now-defunct Fuencarral Theateris set in the turbulent pre-war Madrid, which it perfectly reflects, “with constant allusions to class conflicts,” adds Emilio Sagi.