Originally conceived as a script for Televisión Española in Catalonia in 1978, the success of El veneno del teatro led its author to transform it into a theatrical piece. Since its premiere in Madrid in Spanish in November 1983, with stellar performances by José María Rodero and Manuel Galiana, the play has established itself as a benchmark of 20th-century Spanish theater.
This new version, which has already been performed in Catalonia, arrives for the first time in Spanish under the direction of Robert Torres, using Rodríguez Méndez's 1983 adaptation. The production is presented in the small hall of the Teatro Fernán Gómez, offering the Madrid public a renewed interpretation of this classic.
“"It's a youthful work that I wrote under very strange conditions. I used to plan my plays, knowing what would happen at every moment. But for this one, I only had the starting point, no idea what would happen next. I had just read Diderot's The Paradox of the Comedian, and for me, coming from independent theater where we all worked with joy, it gave me clues to develop the drama. That's how I reached the end where the question remains whether the actress dies or not."
The plot of El veneno del teatro, a metatheatrical thriller, revolves around a Parisian marquise who invites actress Gabrielle de Beaumont to her palace to perform a unique piece about the death of Socrates. The aristocrat, author of the play, subjects the actress to increasingly strange situations, revealing a macabre experiment on the limits of fiction. On this occasion, the two protagonists, originally male, are played by actresses, a combination that Sirera himself has stated has been explored in the past.
The current production is a personal project of actress Marta Sangú, who chose Silvia Maya as her co-star. The artistic team, with a distinguished career in Catalonia, makes its debut in the capital with this staging. Robert Torres, trained at the Institut del Teatre de Barcelona, is the founder of companies such as Entreacte, Magma Teatre, and Arenal Teatre. The play will be on display in the Jardiel Poncela hall of the Teatro Fernán Gómez until May 3rd.
