Talk about tango and you probably think about Al Pacino and the 1992 classic
Scent of a Woman. There the tango was used as part of the story. In Maria de
Buenos Aires, to be performed this weekend at the National Theater, tango is
used to tell the story. The unusual operetta created by Rudulf Werthen and
the I Fiamminghi group from Brussels is based on a libretto by Argentine
poet Horacio Ferrer and a score by the king of tango, Astor Piazzolla.
Maria de Buenos Aires was written in 1967 to 1968 and is called a tango
operetta. According to Werthen, its original structure was relatively
static, more like a tango concert. In the new production, the narrative
element has been strengthened, and with its elaborate set re-creating the
seedy Buenos Aires bar and brothel, it is more like a modern-day
interpretation of a Verdi opera. The story too, which tells the story of
Maria, who is the personification of Buenos Aires in her energy, decadence
and passion.
The show featured as a major event in the 2001 Hong Kong arts festival, and
has gleaned high praise everywhere it has been performed. The Spanish
libretto, Werthen admits, is highly obscure even for those who know the
language, but as in the case of Italian opera, it is really the incredible
sounds that you go to hear.
"The greatest challenge was finding a balance between the confusing text and
the very direct emotions expressed by tango music," Werthen said. The result
is an amazing spectacle that has the vibrancy of a Broadway musical with a
very Latin passion. Not to be missed. Maria de Buenos Aires will be
performed at the National Theater Taipei at 7:30pm today and tomorrow and at
2:30pm on Sunday. Tickets cost NT$300 to NT$2,000 and can be obtained from
the National Theater. The performance will have both English and Chinese
subtitles.
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