Matadero Madrid center for contemporary creation

PINGÜINAS

By Fernando Arrabal
Start date
End date
Timetable
Tuesday to Saturday at 8pm. Sundays at 7pm. From 1 to 14 June: Tuesday to Sunday at 8pm.
Price
€22, with a 25% discount on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Format
Venue
Naves Matadero
Sala Fernando Arrabal
Institution
A Quixotic/Cervantes-like/Arrabalian dramatic adventure surrounding ten Pingüinas or bikers, free and incorruptible whirling ladies.
“Arrabal says that our female motorbikers, or pingüinas (female penguins) are called Cervantas or Quijotas (female versions of Cervantes or Don Quixote) by those in the know. Constanza, the niece of Miguel de Cervantes (Miho) and the apple of his eye, asks her aunt Luisa (yes, Luisa de Belén, the nun): “Why do they take us penguins for men from classical texts?” She raises a good question, this “little girl”… from Valladolid? Be careful with adages and sayings; they’re the work of the devil. What’s certain is that these girls... sorry, these gals, are a mighty, no holds barred force to be reckoned with.   This is an accurate assertion. Precision is called for in the midst of chaos.   Allow me to present these free and incorruptible pingüinas, these female dervishes, these biker angels, these whirling ladies.   Grandmother Torreblanca, Sister Luisa, carnal niece Constanza, mother Leonor, paternal Aunt María, older sister Andrea, younger sister Magdalena, paternal cousin Martina, wife Catalina and “natural daughter” Isabel. Only the guest of honour is missing, the axis on which all of the dialogue turns: Miho. (“Who is like God?” or even “Who is like Bread?”). So it’s all clear to you, right? You are an intelligent audience, a 21st century audience. We will not reveal the ages of the ladies or the man. Revealing the age of a man or woman is absolutely indecent and unnecessary. And the whole time and space thing is so subjective!   I will tell you, though, that Arrabal, who is old and wise and a little boy, a terrible boy at times and a little bastard nearly always, has met his match in these girls and this visionary. And the things they all get up to together... Miho, the Cervantas, the Pingüinas, Quixote, Arrabal, Cervantes and the Bible in verse... you can’t even imagine! I’ll say no more. Have a bit of patience, just wait. We are in the kitchen now, cooking up some tasty porridge.”   This Quixotic/Cervantes-like/Arrabalian dramatic adventure was created in honour of two important occasions: this year, the 400th anniversary of the publication of the second part of Don Quixote, and next year, which will also mark 400 years since Cervantes, as Arrabal would say, went into hiding.


Cast: María Hervás, Ana Torrent, Marta Poveda, Lara Grube, Ana Vayón, María Besant, Lola Baldrich, Alexandra Calvo, Badia Albayati, Sara Moraleda y Miguel Ángel Cazorla


PINGÜINAS
Artistic team and specifications
Director
Juan Carlos Pérez de la Fuente