The process of putting the musical on its feetThe pillars of the Earth‘It has required an effort and time very similar to the construction of the cathedral that is the axis of the novel by Ken Follett (more than 27 million copies sold worldwide) on which it is based. The result is, likewise, a scenic cathedral, majestic and ostentatious at the same time, which will satisfy those who go to the theater with the intention of seeing a ‘great’ show and feeling that, in this sense, it is worth what they have paid for. the entrance.
The Welsh author Ken Follett He published his novel in 1989, a story set in medieval England in which political and religious conspiracies, love and family stories, personal revenge, ambitions, betrayals are woven… A real novel, wow. All this against the backdrop of the construction of Kingsbridge Cathedral. The success of the musical theater adaptation of ‘Les Misérables’, by Victor Hugo, will have had something to do with the composer’s desire Ivan Macias and the writer Felix Amador to bring ‘The Doctor’, by Noah Gordon, first, and ‘The Pillars of the Earth’, later (in between they created two other adaptations, ‘The Neverending Story’ and ‘The Time Between the Seams’, with different ambitions). And the perfume of what is one of the great successes of musical theater in recent decades can be perceived in ‘The Pillars of the Earth’; but this statement should not be understood other than as an applause, because nothing else deserves the effort carried out by Macías, Amador and their ‘patron’, the producer Dario Regattieri. The staging has great dignity both from a scenic and musical point of view.
Félix Amador, who showed his expertise as an adapter in ‘The Doctor’, has known how to transfer Ken Follett’s universe to the stage in a narratively clear and faithful version (it is not impossible that the book’s followers think otherwise) that, in any case , errs on the side of wanting to tell too many things – an impossible task when trying to stage a novel of these characteristics. Iván Macías, for his part, has composed a score where epic accents prevail over lyrical accents, with exalted melodies that are tremendously demanding for the performers. There are several numbers of height and brilliance – especially written for the female protagonists – that once again reveal the category of the Huelva musician (Side note: on his website – no program was provided at the premiere – they do not appear, inexplicably, nor the orchestral staff or the names of the musicians).
The cast of ‘The Pillars of the Earth’ does not have it easy. There are few moments of calm in the show, and it is necessary to multiply in different roles in a permanent coming and going (to which we must add the obstacles posed by the score). The good general level demonstrated is especially raised with the interpretations of Julio Morales (Tom Builder), Javier Ibarz (Waleran Bigod), Cristina Picos (Alien of Shiring) or Javier Ariano (Jack Jackson).
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