In the second week of September, Barcelona's theater listings offer a wide range of highly interesting proposals. Between September 7 and 13, the city will see the arrival of auteur comedies with top-tier casts, the revival of monologues fifteen years after their original staging, and contemporary readings of traditional works and theater classics.
53 domingos at Teatre Condal: the return of Cesc Gay
From September 9 to 27, Teatre Condal will host the premiere of 53 domingos, the new stage production written by Cesc Gay. With a cast led by Julián López, Pepa Charro, Xavi Mira, and Candela Serrat, the play presents the conflict of three siblings who come together to decide the future of their 86-year-old father, whose behavior is becoming increasingly incomprehensible.
What begins as a family gathering quickly turns into a string of reproaches, old wounds, and shared secrets. True to the filmmaker and playwright's incisive, everyday style, this production turns small frictions between siblings into a comedy about responsibility, the passage of time, and the disagreements that arise within family life.
La truita at Teatre Poliorama with Emma Vilarasau and Jordi Boixaderas
From September 9 to October 18 Teatre Poliorama revives La truita, following its performance at the Grec. Directed by Ferran Utzet, the cast is led by Emma Vilarasau and Jordi Boixaderas who play a mature couple who have decided to leave the city to run an organic bakery in the countryside. But tonight, the family gathers to celebrate the husband's 65th birthday with their three daughters, their partners, and their grandchildren.
The plot takes an unexpected turn when the middle daughter, converted to lacto-pesco-vegetarianism, rejects her mother's traditional fricandó and asks for trout instead. From there, the get together takes a turn, and generational clashes, different life philosophies, and unresolved frictions within the couple and family begin to emerge.
Quim Masferrer revives Temps at Teatre Borràs
From September 9 to October 18, Teatre Borràs will bring back Quim Masferrer in Temps, a tragicomedy originally staged at the Temporada Alta festival in 2012. Fifteen years after its debut, the performer revisits and updates a monologue built on a single premise: a man is told he has exactly ninety minutes left to live.
La Casa de Bernarda Alba at Sala Ars Teatre
From September 13 to October 25, Sala Ars Teatre once again presents its free adaptation of La Casa de Bernarda Alba, directed by Albert Pueyo. Condensed into 60 minutes, the production aims to capture the atmosphere of repression, greed, envy, and yearning for freedom found in Federico García Lorca's great work.
The cast includes Anna Toro as Bernarda and Roser Mateo as Poncia. The result is a small-scale staging that pays tribute to the last work completed by the Granada-born author before his death.
La del manojo de rosas at Teatre Apolo
From September 10 to 12, Teatre Apolo will host a brief run of La del manojo de rosas, performed by the company Milnotes. The production transposes Pablo Sorozábal's zarzuela classic into a pin-up aesthetic inspired by the 1940s and '50s, with period hairstyles, pompadours, and pastel-toned, Grease-style costumes.
Despite the visual overhaul and the three-tiered lit staging, the production keeps the original text and melodies intact. It also features a live orchestra to create a large-scale musical spectacle while preserving the dialogue of the classic comedy.
Barcelona opens a new week of theater in which comedy, the great classics, and the return of acclaimed productions take center stage.