The Old Havana historical amphitheatre has presented during the current month of July the musical play entitled the Rey León which is directed by maestro Alfonso Menéndez which is inspired in the classical play from Broadway.

Since the last month of October, Alfonso Menéndez has been participating in the musical play that was premiered with the participation of amateur actors. Besides, there have been nineteen musical themes presented in each performance and some of them are already known by the Cuban audience, especially by the children through the Walt Disney’s cartoon.

The Rey León play is has nothing to do with the aforementioned cartoon; however, it does have to do with the Broadway´s musical play that was once awarded the Tony recognition.

During half an hour and three minutes, the young artists have performed on the amphitheatre’s stage the mythical musical themes by the British composer Elton John for the abovementioned musical play.

´The setting of this play has been really complex, besides, it has up to 42 children and all of them are beginners. Besides, I always love making clear the fact that the people attending to the current cultural season of the Rey León musical play will not find a version of the film, on the contrary, they will find a musical play that is inspired in the Broadway´s play which also appeared along with the Elton John’s film with that granted him an Oscar award for the musical theme entitled Can You Feel the Love Tonight.

The amphitheatre has been since seventeen years ago the venue of the musical theatre. Besides, The Rey León proposal is part of the plays adapted by Menéndez such as the ones entitled El fantasma de la opera, Las Leandras, La viuda alegre, El jorobado de Notre Dame and La bestia o Cats, just to mention some of them. Therefore, Menendez’s main goal since more than twenty years ago is precisely to make musical theatre.

´I am a music lover, besides, I also studied music and I do love theatre. I believe that when I was born I did not receive the gift for the dramatic genre. Moreover, I have always thought that each artist should know what he/she is really good for, so, I would not love to have Nelson Dorr’s talent let alone the Bertha Martinez’s for directing a performance of the La Casa de Bernarda Alba play; however, I do know my gift and I believe that it is the musical theatre. I started making concerts and magazines, but once I began directing the amphitheatre, I do think that I started to grow as an artist given that I have had to learn to work in unusual condition as the stage where I work is made up by concrete and my curtains and roofs are completely imaginary ones.´Alfonso Menéndez commented.

Alfonso Menéndez announced that for the month of May 2013, the amphitheatre will premiere the play entitled Los miserables, which is a work in which he has already been working even before the recent premiere of the Rey leon musical play.

´I continue preferring the musical theatre in spite of the fact that many theatre companies has no longer using it given that their directors consider it a really expensive production; however, I do believe that it is possible to do it and each single premiere of my plays has proven it. Besides, there is an old saying that says that when there is a will, here is a way. It is true that it is really tiring its setting up process as I had been working since four months ago while I was gathering with the musical director, the chorus director of the Cuban Institute of Art and Film Industries. Therefore, it is difficult and tiring to make musical theatre in Cuba, but I have never ever given up.´ Alfonso Menéndez said.

This way, we invite our local internet users to attend the Old Havana historical amphitheatre in order to enjoy from the El Rey León musical play which constitutes another cultural proposal during the Cuban current summer’s months. By Sarahí García Conteras