Picasso Museum of Málaga reveals flamenco’s comic side in the ‘Humor y juego’ series

José de la Tomasa, La Choni, Ortiz Nuevo, Niño de Pura, Fernando Romero and Ramón Martínez present their shows at the Auditorium until April 2012

Flamenco-world.com, October 2011

“Flamenco has always been at odds with seriousness and solemnity, although its productions seem just the opposite. From Pericón de Cádiz to El Cojo Peroche, artists of this art form have always been noted for their irreverence, their tendency to play as well as their picaresque and comical proposals”. Stemming from this thesis is the series ‘Humor y juego’ (‘Humor and Play’) which, set in the Flamenco en el Picasso program, will be held from November 2011 to April 2012 at the Auditorium of the Picasso Museum of Málaga. The bill presents five stage shows which try “to explore how much playing, mischief, comedy and double entendre there is in flamenco, in order to perfume with humor” the stage of this venue. José de la Tomasa, La Choni, José Luis Ortiz Nuevo, Niño de Pura, Fernando Romero and Ramón Martínez are the artists starring in these original shows, which will be presented by specialists Marta Carrasco and Fernando Iwasaki. The official website of the museum in Málaga offers further information and online ticket sales.

Fernando Romero and Ramón Martínez

While works by Picasso and Giacometti are on exhibit in its rooms, flamencos will also be able to display their most original creations at the Auditorium of the Picasso Museum of Málaga. The Flamenco en el Picasso show schedule returns with an original series. ‘Humor y juego’ considers five different ways that the jondo art also has a comic side to it. “There’s no antidote against humor, and that’s why the artists have resorted to sarcasm, irony and parody in order to condemn injustice, fight tyranny and ridicule power”, its coordinators explain.

The program opens on November 4th with the show ‘El sentido del doble sentido’, starring veteran Sevillian cantaor José de la Tomasa. Presented by Fernando Iwasaki, the artist from the neighborhood of La Alameda focuses on “the art of saying two different things with the same copla”. On December 16th, the comic, writer and researcher José Luis Ortiz Nuevo will put himself in the shoes of Pericón de Cádiz with his monologue ‘Por dos letras’. The dramatic show is announced as “a witticism and find, and a prank to split your sides laughing and also to think about the dimension of suffering. It’s an illustrated lecture on life”.

Choni Compañía Flamenca

After year’s end, on February 3rd La Choni & Compañía Flamenca presents ‘Flamenco tratado’. The Sevillian bailaora, who this season is performing her hit flamenco play ‘La Gloria de mi mare’, questions in this new piece “how to explain what flamenco is through humor”. And to do so, she starts off with questions such as: “In flamenco is there only duende (a goblin/magic) or are there also witches? Is Flamenco Tratado a manual or a concept?”.

FLAMENCO EN EL PICASSO 2011/2012. HUMOR AND PLAY SERIES Picasso Museum Auditorium (9:00 pm) Málaga (Spain), November 4th, 2011, to April 20th, 2012 November 4th José de la Tomasa ‘El sentido del doble sentido’ MPM Auditorium 9.00 pm José Luis Ortiz Nuevo December 16th José Luis Ortiz Nuevo ‘Por dos letras’ MPM Auditorium 9.00 pm March 3rd La Choni & Cía. Flamenca ‘Flamenco tratado’ MPM Auditorium 9.00 pm March 16th Niño de Pura ‘Danié er travieso’ MPM Auditorium 9.00 pm Niño de Pura April 20th Fernando Romero and Ramón Martínez ‘Desplumados’ MPM Auditorium 9.00 pm All tickets 6 euros. Advance ticket sales at the museum box office and at www.unientradas.es Tickets on sale at the Auditorium box office one hour before each show No admittance once the show has begun