Hispanic Spirits

Posted on: 03/12/2019

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A Level Spanish students visited the Cervantes Theatre on 4th December to see Isabelle Allende's House of the Spirits. Here Sixth Former, Margot, explains why she enjoyed the production

On Tuesday 3rd December, Lower Sixth Spanish students had the opportunity to watch the stage version of the famous book Casa De Los Espiritus  (House of the Spirits) that skyrocketed Chilean writer, Isabel Allende to fame. Situated in Lambeth Southwark, the Cervantes Theatre is a cosy and intimate and the first place in London committed to showcasing authentic, Spanish and Latin-American theatre.

The play tells the story of the rise and fall of the Trueba family in an ambiguous Latin American country (reminiscent of Chile) over 50 years spanning from the 1920s to the 1970s. The play is narrated from the perspective of the youngest of the three generations of women, Albla, who is being held in a torture room by the government when the play opens.

As we look back through Albla’s story we see generations of the Truebas growing up; getting married; having children and grandchildren and passing away during a time of political unrest and conflicting ideologies. In Chile, women got the vote in 1934, and in 1970 Salvador Allende became the world’s first democratically elected Marxist president and began radical social reform. The play reflects public opinion about the changing political climate very accurately.

I found the production very engaging as it really felt as if we had been transported to mid 20th Century Latin-America.

Margot, A Level Spanish student

Other themes in the play included a reflection on the rigid roles of men and women, the influence of religion on families, (especially in a continent so deeply rooted in tradition) and the lack of social mobility and appalling conditions endured by workers, such as miners.  Casa De Los Espiritus also incorporates a blend of ‘magical realistic’ elements, a common feature in Spanish and Latin-American films, books and plays. One example of this is the character Clara and the way her ability to ‘see’ things is portrayed.  She is denounced by the local priest as being possessed by the devil and predicts a death in the del Valle family, which is tragically fulfilled when Rosa (her sister) accidentally drinks poison meant for her father, Severo.

I enjoyed this successful production. Despite the dark themes, it had brilliant elements of comedy in it that made it an enjoyable theatrical experience - and one with real useful relevance to our Spanish A Level curricular studies.

For more information about the Cervantes Theatre and this production follow this link