The latest musical to play Madrid’s Gran Vía, affectionately nicknamed “Spanish Broadway”, is El Alma Al Aire El Musical, a jukebox musical using the songs of Spanish singer Alejandro Sanz, titled after his album and song of the same name.
Sanz did not want the musical to be biographical; he was happy to let dramaturgist Álvaro Tato craft his own narrative but wanted it to be set in the South and celebrate its culture. Whilst Sanz is from Madrid, his parents are from the South. El Alma al Aire (The Soul in the Open Air) is thus set in a fictional fishing village (Gazulea) inspired by Cádiz in southern Spain.
It follows Ale (Pepe Nufrio, who you may recognise as Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), a young man who lives with his mother, Soledad (Inés Leòn), and grandfather, Pescador (Antonio MM), and is very close to his best friend, Bruno (Natán Segado). Their wholesome little world is rocked by Alma (Miriam Madrid), a real estate developer from Madrid who settles in Gazulea with her two daughters, Ella (usually Amanda Digón but we had Paula Díaz, a swing an Alternate Ella) and Sandy (Lydia Fairén), who disrupts the community and sparks a conflict between redevelopment and preservation.
The incredible cast includes Hugo Ruiz as Jamie, an American tourist. Whilst his performance is hilarious, and deliberately cartoonish to affectionately parody the loud Yanks who swarm Europe, I, a native English speaker, just thought he sounded like a Spaniard who had learned English with an American accent. But almost the entire audience is Spanish, and to them, he presumably sounded like an American trying to speak Spanish. There is scene-stealing performance by the vivacious Inma “La Carbonera” as Levante, the personification of the characteristic wind that blows on the Cádiz coast. The core cast was rounded off with Chemari Bello (Ensemble Alcalde).
Dramaturgist Álvaro Tato, Musical Supervisor Nicholas Skilbeck and Musical Director Xavier Torras have cleverly crafted a narrative out of Sanz’s discography and seamlessly weaved his songs into it. This is no doubt helped by the recurring structure of Sanz’ songs, in which they often deal with someone wanting something they do not have. Some of the songs are incorporated and rearranged surprisingly, such as ‘Y Si Fuera Ella’ becoming a duet, whilst Sanz’ biggest solo hit ‘Corazón Partío’ (‘La Tortura’ with Shakira is surprisingly not included) starts with sorrow and ends in celebration. Whilst the songs are still quickly recognisable, there is a feeling that they are being sung for the first time, doing away with a convention of jukebox musicals, in which the audience eagerly anticipate the next song, and each song offers nostalgia.
Produced by Stage Entertainment, with an esteemed creative team including some Brits and Americans who have worked on the West End and Broadway, including director Jonathan Kent, the production quality is unsurprisingly excellent, with no expenses spared.
Set designer Tom Pye has recreated a southern Spanish fishing village onstage, complete with san dunes. The set expands out into the auditorium, with brick walls and even a door going through a wall, which is used occasionally. At the front of the stage, there is a body of water, and at one point, it rains. No, it pours! Hugh Vanstone’s lighting is warm and whimsical, capturing both the magical quality of the southern Spanish seaside and the magical realism elements of the narrative.
One scene is set in a board room, in which a white box, cloaked in cold white lighting, descends from above. It looks like a window into another world, physically separating it from the main action and this world of wonder.
The huge open boxes – one of which is connected to the stage with stairs and a balcony (underused by the cast) – are used by the musicians, including three singers who make up the “viento” (wind) ensemble. It’s a fine idea having the singers operate as a sort-of character, albeit placing them up with the band to create a distinction. But at one point, any separation between the singers and the narrative is broken, with them leaning forward and singing at a character onstage, like the wind shouting down at them. There is perhaps a missed opportunity in not dressing them in blue, to better symbolise what they represent, but the all-back connects them to Levante (and also allows them to be less noticeable, which is presumably why they are located up in a box, not onstage, as well as their proximity to the sky, as representatives of the wind).
Lynn Page’s choreography is passionate and at times ethereal, capturing the pride of southern Spaniards and the intensity of the plot, whilst associate choreographer Jasmin Colangelo has ensured authenticity, and an avoidance of stereotypical Spanish dancing, especially in the flamenco scenes (of course an Alejandro Sanz musical has flamenco!).
El Alma al Aire is such a strong production, from the relevant narrative and majestic design to the impressive performances, that you almost forget that it is a jukebox musical. It is set apart from other non-biographical jukebox musicals in that it has not been designed simply to bring an artist’s discography to life onstage. Rather, it captures the essence and themes of his songs. It’s almost an anti jukebox musical. If the songs were skilfully translated into English, it could totally play in the UK, perhaps marketed more as a new musical composed by Alejandro Sanz rather than a jukebox musical using the songs of Alejandro Sanz. But a London transfer is probably not the aim for this show, despite its British and American creatives. El Alma al Aire is, at its core, a love-letter to southern Spain and its people in spite of hardship and difficulty.
