Strawberry and Chocolate Returns to the Cuban Stage

The theatrical version of the story by Senel Paz successfully adapted to
cinema

By Mildrey Ponce
* Translated for CubaNow by Susana Hurlich

The plot of the piece centers its story on the friendship that David, a
"politically correct" and in principle homophobic young student, and Diego,
a homosexual artist, establish.

(BOX)
The piece, premiered in 1992 before the cinematographic success that
attained being the film nominated for the Oscar award as best foreign film,
was surrounded by a highly controversial atmosphere. From there comes the
director's main motive for staging it, which is confrontation with the
public that in these times is better prepared.

Sixteen years since the creation of the famous Cuban film Strawberry and
Chocolate, produced by Tomas Gutiérrez Alea and Juan Carlos Tabío, the plot
of the movie based on the story The Wolf, the Forest and the New Man by
Senal Paz, Juan Rulfo prize in 1990, returns this time to Havana's downtown
Llauradó Theatre, in a staging by the Mefisto Theatre company, directed by
Tony Díaz.

According to statements by the director, on the subject of the piece
entitled F y Ch (To eat you better), the new production is based on the
theatrical version by Isidro Núñez, premiered by Díaz himself in 1992,
precisely one year before the cinematographic adaptation of the
controversial story, and that relied on the performances of Tony Salup in
the character of David and Antonio (Tony) Arroyo as Diego. This latter one
returns to repeat the same role in the recently repeated work.

The plot of the theatrical piece centers its story on the relationship of
close friendship that its main characters establish: David, a "politically
correct" and in principle homophobic young student, and Diego, a homosexual
artist, an orientation that until a few years ago was mostly ill considered
by Cuban society in general.

"At that time, before the premiere of the movie, the piece was surrounded by
a highly controversial atmosphere. It's from this that our main motive now
is confrontation with the public that in these times is better prepared,"
expressed the recognized theatre director.

Although Díaz has left marked, with respect to its previous staging, the
timeless accent of his proposal, the new work presents logical and essential
changes in the dramaturgical structure, designed for the passage of time.

This revived work turns out to be a song to tolerance, to respect, to
friendship of no more than one hour's duration, which stands out for its
enormous validity and also for a relevant sound band, created by Tony Díaz
from the original produced by Juan Piñera for the absolute premiere of the
staging.

The general director of Mefisto Theatre has also related from other
perspectives to the trajectory, on the Cuban stage, of the already
emblematic story by Senal Paz. In 1997 he was responsible for the lighting
design of Strawberry and Chocolate that prestigious Cuban director Carlos
Díaz premiered, together with his theatre company Público, in the National
Theatre, and that afterwards he took to various cities in Spain and other
countries.

Tony Arroyo, for his part, and also since 1997, began a long season of
presentations of the show conceived by Tony Díaz in important venues in
Colombia, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile.

*The author is a Cubanow staff member.
*Translated by Susana Hurlich



=========================================
WALTER LIPPMANN
Los Angeles, California
Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/
"Cuba - Un Paraíso bajo el bloqueo"
=========================================