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LAZARILLO
RAVES & REVEIWS "I just wanted to let you know that the kids really enjoyed "Lazarillo" and so did I. We just keep talking and talking about it. It is not always easy to please high school students and I know some of them had reservations about a play about this medieval character. They were all impressed, they laughed and enjoyed themselves immensely. "An attractive, talented and extremely energetic cast took us on a journey last night at the Miracle. Engaging and Highly Entertaining! Kudos to All involved especially the director and creator of the piece Mr Cruz who also plays charming 11year old Lazarillo! Thank You and Congratulations!" - Ron Daum
“As a fan of the comedia dell'arte and movement-based theatre, I very much enjoyed LAZARILLO at Miracle Theatre yesterday. The enthusiastic troupe of athletic masked actors does not stay still for a moment in their retelling of a 16th century Spanish novela reset in 1980's Bronx hip-hop culture. Dynamic and fun!” – RONNI LACROUTE, audience member “It will have you laughing and soaking in every moment. You’ll also be provoked to think. You truly have to experience it for yourself. The group of only five Thespians are stunningly good at their craft. With the exception of talented Carlosalexis Cruz, who plays the lead, the other four play multiple parts and have you believing each one. Kudos to Kate Braidwood, Emily Gleason, Matthew Kerrigan, and Andrew Phoenix. Wonderful, wonderful!” – AROUND PORTLAND http://pdxguyinc.com/around-portland/ “For all the social issues tackled by this play, it never fails to entertain. The script is lively and the jokes are sharp (if a little broad). The physical staging is impressive, and the nearly-sold-out show closed to thunderous applause from adults and children alike. We both loved it.” –PDXKIDSCALENDAR.COM “The crowd for Friday’s opening night show of "Lazarillo" at Milagro Theatre loved it, laughing loudly and giving it a standing ovation … those inclined toward physical theater and broad, slapstick comedy might well view this as an engagingly fun night of theater." --THE OREGONIAN: The Inquisition of Lazarillo: Raising the Question is a conversation series that will accompany this year's production Lazarillo. Lazarillo is based on an early Renaissance Spanish picaresque novella of a peasant boy who serves many masters as he modestly climbs the social and economic ladder. Dell'arte School of Physical Theatre actor and director CarlosAlexis Cruz adapts the classic work, Lazarillo de Tormes, re-locating it to the 90's in New York City, in a hip-hop, circus, mask and movement-based interpretation. This much more liberal take on the classic work generated new questions for us at Miracle and we are looking forward to engaging with our audiences on three specific themes: Wednesday, May 11 at 6pm:
Wednesday, May 18 at 6pm:
Wednesday, May 25 at 6pm: The original novella provokes questions about class and identity that remain relevant across centuries and cultures. The work is highly theatrical, with exaggerated characters, crime and violence. When the creative team at Miracle began to envision the production of Lazarillo, they realized the most relevant representation would be one in which the work was adapted to a contemporary setting. It was determined that New York City during 1980s-90s would best suit the needs of this adaptation.
If the Spanish crown took exception to the novel “The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes and of His Fortunes and Adversities” enough to ban it for heresy during the Spanish Inquistion, the folks at Miracle Theatre probably would have earned some particularly gruesome form of Inquisition-style torture for their comedic stage interpretation of the story. Transporting the tale from 16th Century Spain to 20th Century Bronx, Miracle’s world premiere of this bilingual play uses hip-hop, circus, and comedia dell’arte traditions to tell the tale of a likeable trickster named Lazarillo. The play runs May 6-May 28. Bringing artistic depth and authenticity to the production are the likes of acrobat-actor Carlos Alexis Cruz, who wrote and directed the play and stars as the titular character; choreographer Gabriela Portuguez; spoken word artist José Gutiérrez; and graffiti artists Levi “Uneak” Banner and Chazaq “Carl Bamburger” Luz Pinto, who painted the backdrop to the set. Luz Pinto and Banner spent an entire work day and some change spray painting the backdrop, resulting in a spectacularly detailed work of street art brought indoors. “It was pretty much a free for all for nine hours straight,” says Luz Pinto, who was born in Mexico City. It was the first time the young artist had ever collaborated with a theatre company, and, he notes, the first time he’d ever painted the Virgin Mary in aerosol. “It was the best job I’ve ever had,” he recalls. “I could have kept going. It was too much fun.” Portuguez, who has taken on the challenge of teaching a bunch of acrobatic performers to break dance, says Luz Pinto and Banner’s work has been helpful as the performers try to get into character. “The graffiti artwork has just helped the dancers to incorporate what I’ve been trying to teach them into their bodies,” she says. Staying true to the 1980s New York setting, Portuguez says her choreography will both acknowledge the Latin flavor that had seeped into hip-hop dance by that time, as well as old-school moves, including ones that are sometimes not taken terribly seriously today, such as the Running Man, the Smurf, and the Roger Rabbit. “There’s a lot of old dances that we used to do back in the day, and we’re bringing them back,” Portuguez says. Further deepening the theatrical experience will be an accompanying conversation series titled “The Inquisition of Lazarillo: Raising the Question.” The themes to be examined are: “Cloaking Dissent” (May 11). “The Livelihoods of Lazarillo” (May 18), and “The Trials of Adaptation”, (May 25). These free conversations will begin at 6 p.m. and will be conducted in English. |
May 6-28, 2011
The Inquisition of Lazarillo: Raising the Question Sponsored by
CAST CarlosAlexis Cruz ... Lázaro de Patillas Juan Prophet Organization (Musicians) is a collective of multi-instrumentalists that provide live musical score for a variety of live theatrical performances. The band was named “Best Circus Band of Portland” in 2010 by Willamette Week for their work with CarlosAlexis Cruz’s A Suicide Note from a Cockroach ... and their performances with The Wanderlust Circus. This incarnation of the group features Jeff Holt, Travis McAlister and Kristopher White. (May 2011) PRODUCTION TEAM CarlosAlexis Cruz... Director
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Miracle Theatre Group 425 SE 6th Avenue Portland, Oregon 97214 503-236-7253 |
Copyright 2011 Miracle Theatre Group |
Sold to a blind beggar as a child and then passed from one master to another — each more cruel and incompetent than the previous — young Lazarillo must pilfer and deceive to survive, and is usually punished for his pains. But like his successors Pinocchio or Huck Finn, the endearing Lazarillo learns to fake miracles and mouse infestations, to expose hucksters and the absurdities of the establishment, all in an attempt to elevate his position in society. Based on the first picaresque novel once banned by the Inquisition, this modern interpretation integrates hip-hop, circus and comedia dell’arte traditions to create a vibrant evening of physical theatre suitable for all ages.
“Lazarillo was soooooo funny!!!! I’m going back and bringing my family! Tell Miracle thanks for setting it up! It was soooo worth going to! – Oregon Children’s Theatre young professional
In Lazarillo one reads a sweeping critique of the society and institutions of 16th century Spain: the Church, the nobility, the family, the poor, and the emerging middle class. The novella, La vida de Lazarillo de Tormes y de sus fortunas y adversidades, was published anonymously due to an intolerance of dissent by a church in the thralls of the Spanish Inquisition. It is imagined that the writer was afraid of punishment or persecution from the religious orders that controlled much of the state. The writer’s fears were validated when, upon publication in 1554, the book was banned by the Inquisition for several years, and then published in an edited version that omitted chapters critical of the Church. Although it was soon available in multiple languages throughout Europe, it was not published in its complete form in Spain until the 19th century. This has raised questions about artistic self-censorship for protection. 
Lazarillo's story of socio-economic ascension highlights the connections between work and identity. In the 16th century, strong class lines delineated society. A cleric is of a certain class and to be treated with the deference due a man of the cloth while a beggar is to be spat upon and thrown a few meager coins. How do these rules manifest in modern society? Upward mobility was very restricted in Lazarillo's time, however, it is one of the key principles behind the American Dream. Yet even espousing meritocracy, how does education, upbringing, wealth, etc., create real and perceived barriers that hinder an individual's rise to success? 
‘Lazarillo’: From heretical novel to hip-hop stage play
