Caligula the Musical (Spanish: Calígula, el musical) is a tragic Argentinian musical inspired by the life of the titular Roman emperor from the Julio-Claudian dynasty. It was written by Pepe Cibrián[1] with original music by Martín Bianchedi.
Productions edit
It premiered in 1983[2] in Buenos Aires, during the 1976-1983 dictatorship, and made a comparison between the cruelty of Caligula and Argentinian state terrorism, which ended with thirty thousand disappeared. It had a small cast of nine people. The musical was not targeted by the government due to the belief that it was just a musical. However, Cibrián and the cast did create a second, more tame version of the show, which they performed when government officials came to supervise or observe rehearsals.[3]
In 2002 it returned for a run in Buenos Aires, in the Teatro del Globo, with a new musical adaptation by Ángel Mahler and a small cast of fourteen people and a live orchestra. It was directed by Cibrián and choreographed by Rubén Cuello. The message of the show was adapted to the December 2001 Argentinazo crisis.[1] It received a positive review from La Nacion.[4]
In 2005, the Premier de Buenos-Aires theater put on a version with a cast of twenty people plus a live orchestra.[5] In September of that year it traveled to Santa Fe to perform.[6] In 2013 it was performed at the Konex de Buenos Aires with a cast of 17 people.
Cast recording edit
Caligula the Musical released a cassette in 1983, and a CD in 2002,[7] through La Isla studios. The disc contained the principle voices of Damián Iglesias and Giselle Dufour.
The 1983 recording contained the following songs:[2]
- 1. Obertura
- 2. Toma el poder
- 3. Tema de Calígula
- 4. Pobre pueblo
- 5. Cesonia
- 6. Casamiento
- 7. Goza
- 8. Que viva
- 9. Pobre César
- 10. Venus imperial
- 11. Debo darle un final
- 12. Se acerca la luz
- 13. Final (Tema de Calígula)
The 2002 CD contained the following songs:[8]
- 1. Esto tú tendrás
- 2. Existo y existiré
- 3. Llegada de Drusila
- 4. Corre
- 5. Un nuevo césar
- 6. Pobre pueblo
- 7. Libertad
- 8. Yo soy Dios
- 9. Si yo pudiese
- 10. Cesonia
- 11. Ser madre
- 12. Senadores
- 13. Baile Mnester
- 14. Goza
- 15. Toma mi vida
- 16. Vivo
- 17. Corran ya
- 18. Como darte
- 19. Pobre César
- 20. Confesión
- 21. Venus imperial
- 22. Violación querea
- 23. Toma el poder
- 24. Debo
- 25. Muerte Mnester
- 26. Muerte Drusila
- 27. Muerte Calígula
- 28. Final
References edit
- ^ a b "Calígula, versión 2002". LA NACION (in Spanish). 2002-08-30. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
- ^ a b "Caligula 1983". Red Teatral. Archived from the original on 2012-07-10. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
- ^ Forte, Noelia (2022-07-07). "Pepe Cibrián recordó la obra que hizo durante la dictadura: "Implicaba riesgos"". El Intransigente (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-05-10.
- ^ "El regreso de Calígula". LA NACION (in Spanish). 2002-09-02. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
- ^ "Calígula, un nuevo musical". Red Teatral. Archived from the original on 2020-08-06. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
- ^ "Calígula: una historia de poder, lujuria y muerte". www.lt9.com.ar. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
- ^ "Caligula - Angel Mahler - Musica". 2009-05-22. Archived from the original on 2009-05-22. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
- ^ "Caligula 2002". Red Teatral. Archived from the original on 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2023-05-10.