Barcelona's Greek Theatre

I've spoken many times about the great Grec festival which happens each summer, and the actual space of the festival - Barcelona's own Greek amphitheatre  - is a diverse space used for the Jazz festival, live music, dance and puppetry as well as just normal theatre. And we're not just talking Greek Comedy or Tragedy, here, the variety of different genres who have stepped onto that stone stage are as equal as the variety of flowers and plants in the surrounding gardens.

It's also just a really nice place to just go and have a look around, and outside of the festival dates, it's an open park with free entrance at the foot of Montjuic. These photos were actually taken in August, hence the amazing blue skies and vivid colours of the vegetation, but they're just from my phone with no filters, etc. so you can't really appreciate it unless you go!

The theatre itself is at the back, and represents perfectly a typical Greek amphitheatre. It was built  - like nearby Poble Español and the fountains of Montjuic - for the 1929 International Exhibition of Barcelona, and can house 1900 spectators.

The metal structure you can see on the left of the photo is for hanging lights/spotlights for night-time performances.

The acoustics  - made by the shape of the seats and the depth of the stage, means that amplification of voices and sound are at the maximum.

The grounds around the theatre itself are peaceful and well attended by the city gardeners. You can find many little corners in the 460m2 to sit and read a book, or just take in the nature around you.

Inside of the white house in the above picture. It's a great place for taking panoramic pictures from the views that are surrounding the park, and the actual theatre itself.

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Grec Festival Kicks Off This Weekend

This weekend sees the start of a different kind of festival to the music ones happening already and is focussed around the Greek Theatre up on Montjüic. And this one goes on a lot longer, too - from 17th June to the 31st July you can enjoy a variety of shows at the Festival Grec. The festival actually spans many different forms of entertainment including dance, theatre music and art and uses various spaces around the city, but there's something special about the Greek Theatre.



I studied Greek Theatre at University and also many of the classic Greek plays, so maybe the affinity lies there, but for me there's a draw to that hidden corner of Montjüic in the open air which was built for the Open Exhibition of 1929 just like its neighbour Poble Espanyol.

The festival is celebrating its 35th year in 2011, and showcases both local and International acts (also partners with other companies from abroad and tends to have a theme each year from each "guest"). This year sees such diversity as Jazz orchestras, breakdancing nights, Tango beats and tragedy plays all on that same stage. It's impossible for me to gloss over the entire programme so for full listings, please see the official site here.

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Lost in Translation? Surely yes!

I've always been drawn to the theatre, and living in Barcelona there are loads of theatres with often some cracking plays and musicals on, but I've only even been once (Stomp, the percussion with bin lids, about 5 years ago!).

Avenguda Paral·lel has the most concentrated amount of theatres in the city with some classics such as Cuitat Condal, Teatro Victoria, Apolo, Teatre Tivoli, and the Moulin Rouge style "El Molino" (the windmill) which is currently undergoing a full makeover (well overdue) and perhaps something that I'll post about soon. These are some of the most famous theatres in Barcelona, and often have full houses for many varied productions.

The problem for me, of course is that they're all in Catalan (very few are in Spanish). I'm not saying that I wouldn't be able to follow the plot or understand the lines, but many productions up and down Paral·lel are the broadway classics, and I just can't bring myself to listen to "Grease" or something similar in Spanish or Catalan?! Surely the songs translated don't even rhyme?!

I don't doubt that I'm missing out on possibly a great night, and some friends testify to have had a great night watching the cast of Mamma Mia (which was prolonged due to huge success) strut their stuff on the boards. Fame has also just left the city after record breaking ticket sales.

Cuitat Condal, for example, has the permanent fixture of Joan Pera, who is a right unto himself - if only because he is the voice double for Woody Allen in all his films (he even makes a cameo in Vicky Cristina Barcelona), amongst others. And Paral·lel metro station at Nou de la Rambla is neighbour co-incidentally to Bagdad "theatre" the city's live porn show.

So what I really find amusing, (and makes me feel like I'm not missing out on too much) is when I see something like Monty Python's Spamalot coming up - and having rave reviews!! The Catalans think that their humour is very satyrical and sarcastic, kind of like the English - TV3 for example shows repeats of the Young Ones and Blackadder at prime time (ask any Catalan if they know the series, you'll be surprised at the answer!). So I guess it's no surprise to me that Spamalot has done so well, even if we are all in "crisis". I suppose it's just as important to be able to laugh about life than get depressed about the crisis, right?! Good on them,I say, and maybe I'll sneak into a matinee this month and let you know how it goes....if not,I can always pop down to the nearby Llantiol Theatre in the Raval for some English comedy nights!

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