Musicals in Spain

[adrian55]

Hi. Hopefully someone here can help. My wife and I are traveling to Barcelona and Madrid next month for a couple of days and are seeing some shows. Do they have translator headsets like some shows do here in NY? And is there any other shows we should try to see while we are there? We're seeing The Sound Of Music (Sonrisas y Lágrimas) and La Familia Irreal. Thanks!

[Mister Matt]

I saw several musicals in Madrid over the years and there were no headset translators in any of the theatres I attended.

[sergio_27]

The most popular musicals in Spain are jukebox musicals, but I'm now sure if you would enjoy them if you don't know the songs. There's also "Grease" and "The Lion King" (starring Mexican Carlos Rivera, a personal favorite of mine).

The show "I Got Gershwin", in the Almeria Teatre of Barcelona, may be interesting too. I believe it could be in Catalan, and not in Spanish, though.

[GavestonPS]

You must be the only English speakers in the world who need a simultaneous translation of THE SOUND OF MUSIC.

[Theatrical Landladies]

GALVESTONPS .... I DID laugh out loud!!!!!!!

[adrian55]

Haha. It was more for La Familia Irreal.

[SNAFU]

Soy diéciseis continuando deicsiete...

[all that jazz]

^ La traducción literal correcta seria, tengo dieciséis y voy para diecisiete.

[equisy]

Sorry, we haven’t translator headsets in spanish theathers

In Spain now you can see "The Lion King", "The Sound of Music", "Evil Dead" and "A quién le importa" (a spanish jukebox) in Madrid, and "The Wild Party", "I Love You, Yo’re Perfect, Now Change" and "La familia irreal" (another jukebox) in Barcelona. We also have touring productions of "Beauty and the Beast" and "Grease". Enjoy them! :)

[henrikegerman]

Debería haber traído mi harmonica! - La Baronesa

Correcciôn: Debí haber traído mi harmonica

[GavestonPS]

What about zarzuelas (a traditional form of Spanish operetta)? The one I saw 30 years ago in Madrid was played broadly enough that I could follow the plot without a translator. (Think of STUDENT PRINCE or ROSE MARIE: would a non-English speaker really be all that confused?) It was also lovely.

Has the whole world been bought by Disney and Cameron Macintosh?

[all that jazz]

Umm... Yes!! Disney rules the world!

[SeanMartin]

^^ True. Why go all the way to Spain to see a show you can see anywhere?

[GavestonPS]

I wouldn't mind seeing what the Spanish do with THE SOUND OF MUSIC. Years ago, I enjoyed seeing CHICAGO and EVITA in London, even though I knew both shows very well from New York. (Obviously the language was the same but the shows were different in subtle ways.)

But, yes, I'd want to see some local offerings, too. Perhaps the zarzuelas have gone to the opera house, just as they have in Los Angeles.

[MazingerZ]

I always check www.entradas.com. It is a fairly good website that lists shows in all of Spain's cities and provinces, incl. Madrid and Barcelona. Most musicals are in Spanish or Catalán, but I did see the 2005 production of "Beyond The Rainbow" ("El Diluvio Que Viene) in Madrid, and it did have English supertitles projected above the stage. Check the listings, the ads, and even contact the theater directly to ask. (Although in my case, if I want to see a show abroad, I just show up. Language is not that important, specially if the show is a well-known Broadway, West End, or International musical.)