Goyescas at The In Series

The five December performances of Enrique Granados’ one-act opera Goyescas, commemorate the centennial of both the opera’s world premiere and the death of the composer. DC Playwright Elizabeth Pringle and director Jaime Coronado re-frame the opera imagining Granados reflecting on his life and work from the deck of the Sussex, the ill-fated ocean liner he took to return to Spain during World War I.

The In Series’ production incorporates the famed Folk Songs of composer Manuel De Falla and the Maja Dolorosa (Sorrowful ‘Maja’) songs of Granados, as a curtain-raiser wherein the fated composer dreams of his homeland. The complete Goyescas follows: in its story, a young upper-class girl, Rosario (soprano Fairouz Foty) is taunted by the cheeky ‘majos’ (fun- loving bohemians), amidst dancing and merry-making. Her suitor, the jealous Fernando¬ (tenor Peter Burroughs) defends her honor and agrees to a duel. The production brings to life both the composer (played by Oscar Ceville) and the bold characters of ‘majos’ and ‘majas,’ as portrayed in iconic paintings by Francisco de Goya.

Director and choreographer Jaime Coronado and conductor and pianist Carlos César Rodríguez lead a quartet of dancers and a cast of twelve singers, including baritone Alex Alburqueque as Paquiro, the toreador, mezzo soprano Patricia Portillo as the bawdy Pepa, and Cara González as Amparo Granados. The design team includes In Series resident scenic designer Jonathan Dahm Robertson and resident costume designer Donna Breslin, with guest lighting designer Stefan Johnson.

Performances are at
GALA Hispanic Theatre.