Review: PICASSO at GALA Hispanic Theatre

GALA Hispanic Theatre’s PICASSO is art in all senses of the word. The creative blending of music, painting, dance, and performance makes for a production steeped in wonderment.

Camilo Linares serves as our charismatic and affable Pablo Picasso guiding the audience through formative memories and childhood vignettes that led to his art-world shattering style. His excitement is infectious as he occasionally directly engages the audience while getting swept up in the beauty and amazement he sees in his world. Over the course of his show Picasso explains why he seeks to maintain his youthful creativity and deter detractors who seek to box him in.

The entire cast is dynamic (and at times acrobatic) and Delbis Cardona, Marimer Espíritu, Kiana King, and Lenny Méndez each deserve recognition. They play countless roles that require the command of everything from puppets to trapeze acts and it is quite evident they all have a keen sense of movement.

Writer Cornelia Cody and director Elena Velasco understand how to cater to younger audiences in a manner that captivates and excites. PICASSO is refined and originative and lays out a rapidly changing story in a straightforward and unique manner. Given that PICASSO is a play about harnessing one’s creativity, it is natural that the play itself is so creative.

Art is often used to describe music, dance, visual art, and theatre, and it is an ambitious undertaking to combine all of these into an hour-long performance. Cody and Velasco do an excellent job of this, and the cast translates art into action by getting the audience swept up in chanting “ojos, boca, y naríz” (“eyes, nose and mouth”) as Picasso furiously paints a portrait.

A highlight of this show is the gradual transition further and further into Picasso’s surrealistic style. As the play develops, the audience goes from watching Picasso translate scenes from his childhood into early paintings, to seeing the swirls and sharp angles of subjects that Picasso paints. In a sense, Picasso’s paintings get more realistic. It feels as if the audience has been fully immersed in Picasso’s world and what he sees. This follows Picasso’s own style as he delves deeper and deeper into what he knows is true to himself.

Haily LaRoe (lighting and projection design) and John Martínez (animation) no doubt had their work cut out for them as PICASSO uses moving projections of Picasso’s evolving style. Their skills are on full display as the cast moves canvases around to display Picasso’s art coming together into the world-renowned pieces we know today.

Another key element is the solid scenic design by Mariana C. Fernández. The set spills out into the audience for maximum immersion and Fernández coordinated well with LaRoe and Martínez. The props (by Pauline Lamb) incorporate Picasso’s swirling lines and atypical perspective, particularly the depiction of horses.

PICASSO, a production aimed at children and family audiences, stands tall and is testament to the GALita productions organized by GALA’s late Producing Artistic Director Hugo Medrano who died in May. The bilingual production flows smoothly and effortlessly back and forth from Picasso’s native Spanish to English. PICASSO is a limited run, and you can catch the show this week with its final performance occurring on October 21st at 3pm.

Run time: approximately 55 minutes with no intermission.

PICASSO by Cornelia Cody was commissioned by GALA Hispanic Theatre and directed by Elena Velasco. The bilingual family production is presented at GALA Theatre, 3333 14th Street NW, Washington, DC 20010 and runs through October 21, 2023. To purchase tickets and for more information visit galatheatre.org.

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