Jordi Milán (La Cubana): "Today's young people are more creative, but they don't have patience"

Against all odds, the audience of La Cubana will be able to enjoy a unique experience by entering the universe of this great family that has been prepared at the Miramar Centre Cultural in Sitges. "They called us for the exhibition in 2019; the idea was to make it coincide with the premiere of Adiós Arturo in Barcelona but the schedule went haywire and everything was postponed for a year," explains the company's director, Jordi Milán, about the ins and outs of La Cubana, 40+1 anys: un viatge des del 'no-res' fins al 2021, a great tribute that opens this Thursday and can be seen until the end of September.

Ahead of the opening, Milán confesses that he never imagined such a large exhibition. "We are drapaires and we keep everything. If we calculate that we have been going for four decades, then you can imagine how many things we have stored in our premises in L'Hospitalet where we have the office, the rehearsal room and all the costumes." No more and no less than a total of 25 loaded trucks moved from their headquarters to Sitges to supply the exhibition with material.

Forty years is a long time. "From the first era, only I and people from the creative side remain. La Cubana was born in Sitges and we started as an amateur group that did theater. Almost all towns in Catalonia have their theater and that's why there were many amateurs who gathered with friends to get on a stage. All that has been lost and it's a shame because it's a natural way to learn the trade. In our case, the whole school comes from the street."

Like a labyrinth

"It's a very large exhibition. It's like a labyrinth. You enter through one door and exit through a metal staircase that they have built so that people can follow a free covid route. It's a curious exhibition, like a book." The security measures are exceptional and, in addition to entering in small groups, there will be many surprises resulting from the imagination of those who ensure safety. "There is a part where we show our musical repertoire and where people can choose the song they want to listen to. To prevent manipulation of the screens, a formula has been created to activate the button without touching it."

The origins, the characters, the shows… Everything fits in this big box. "Cómeme el coco negro was on for four years and Cegada de amor, five. The average run is five years. In Madrid, we have always done very well. In Andalusia and Valencia, too. We have had a great response from the public, totaling five million spectators. Our followers have allied with us and have made it possible for us to have been at it for forty years. It's not a theater audience. They are spectators looking for new things."

"Our followers have allied with us and have made it possible for us to have been at it for forty years"

One of their great television successes that are still current are Les Teresines, with scenes that have become meme fodder on Twitter and episodes that can still be recovered on Youtube. "The action took place in Gràcia, but in reality they were inspired by the women of Sitges. We focused on our families and lifelong traditions. I think there is a lack of madness now. Young people today are more creative than us but they don't have the patience to create."

Adiós Arturo

La Cubana's latest success, which will arrive in Barcelona in October, has an unsettling name: Adiós Arturo. "It's a crazy comedy that pays homage to Arturo Cirera Mompou, a multifaceted artist from Valladolid who wrote before he died that he wanted to celebrate his funeral with a big party at the Calderón Theater. Funerals are a very theatrical theme and the party is guaranteed." For the most curious, let them know that Arturo Cirera died at 101 years old and was a painter, sculptor, composer, director, actor, and art collector.