the musical The miserable ones and the dancer and choreographer Rocío Molina were the big winners of the fourth edition of the Talía Awards, organized by the Academy of Performing Arts of Spain, at a gala held this Monday night at the Teatros del Canal in Madrid. The Spanish replica of the iconic Cameron Mackintosh production that has been on the London billboard for 40 years, replicated this season in Madrid by the multinational label ATG, has swept the four categories dedicated to musical theater and took them all: best show, best male performer (Adrián Salzedo), best female performer (Teresa Ferrer) and best musical direction (Enric García).
Rocío Molina, with her work Heatingswept the dance sections: best female performer, best choreography and best dance show. Premiered at the Matadero Dance Center last November, Heating has been hailed as one of the stage milestones of this season, applauded wherever it has been performed since. Israel Galván won as best male performer.
The most emotional moment was the presentation of the Talía de Honor to the actress María Galiana, who at 90 years old is still active on stage. Just this month he is having a season at the Pavón theater in Madrid with the play I just want to go to France. After an original introduction by Jorge Blass, who composed his face with a card trick, Miguel Rellán handed him the statuette while the winner received a long applause with all the spectators on their feet. She had to tell them to shut up: “That’s it. That’s it,” she said, scolding them affectionately. His speech was very brief, but very heartfelt: “I don’t know if I deserve it. But I do know that the time I have left to live, which won’t be long, because I have a decade left, I’m going to continue enjoying this profession as much as I can.” And he ended with some verses from Mario Benedetti: “Don’t give up, that’s what life is, / continue the journey, / pursue your dreams.”
The evening also had an involuntary protagonist, the actor Antonio Banderas, but not during the gala but on the red carpet, along which nominees, winners and guests such as Irene Escolar, Nathalie Poza, Lluís Homar, Petra Martínez paraded. María Galiana, Luis Bermejo, Luis Merlo. The actor, who last year received the Talía de Honor, attracted all the microphones upon his arrival at the ceremony for the resounding statement he published on Sunday on the social network Surrounded by a swarm of journalists, Banderas insisted that he is not bankrupt and that he undertook the project in Malaga without profit: “The theater works like clockwork in its finances. What doesn’t work like clockwork are the musicals we do because they are very expensive. But I am happy to accept the losses because what I am looking for is not an industrial or business project, but rather an artistic one. I wouldn’t even call it losing, in fact,” he explained with good humor, taking the edge off the matter. And he added: “If I were broke, I wouldn’t have raised their salary like I did four weeks ago.”
Directed by Juan Luis Iborra and presented by the magician Jorge Blass and the actress Carmen Conesa, it was an affable gala, without great scenographic displays and inevitably long, lasting three hours. There were also sectoral demands and some cries of “Long live free Palestine.” The most convincing was Blanca Añón, winner of the award for best set design for Orlando, who, in addition to referring to the war in Gaza, asked for resources for culture in Valencia after the Dana tragedy.
The actress Magüi Mira, recently elected as president of the Academy, replacing Cayetana Guillén Cuervo, addressed directly the political leaders present in the room, including Minister Ernest Urtasun, to ask for greater protection for culture.
In the text theater categories, the winning show was Essence, a play by Ignacio García May directed by Eduardo Vasco, with the actors Juan Echanove and Joaquín Climent. In addition, García May was distinguished as best author. Ángel Ruiz and Nathalie Poza won best leading actor and actress for The king of show business y A streetcar named desire, respectively; Luis Bermejo and Mamen Camacho, best supporting actor and actress for Los yugoslavos y Little Red Riding Hood in Manhattan.
The soprano Ruth Iniesta collected her second Talía as a female performer for The wayward one and Xavier Anduaga in the men’s category for The sleepwalker. There was also a tie, in the lighting category, shared by Pilar Valdevira for Fuenteovejuna and Juanjo Llorens for the musical Gospell.
Winners List
Best text theater show
Essenceproduction of Teatro Español and Entrecajas Producciones
Best musical theater show
The miserable ones, from ATG Entertainment Spain
Best dance show
Heatingproduction of Danza Molina in co-production with Centro de Danza Matadero, Théâtre de Nîmes, Festival de Danse de Cannes, Scène Nationale du Sud-Aquitaine y Scène nationale / Théâtre d’Orleans)
Best circus show
Packing, from Chicharrón Circo Flamenco
Best lyrical show
Barren, production of Auditorio de Tenerife, Zarzuela, Amazonas Opera Festival of Manaus and Opera Festival of Theatro da Paz of Belém
Best Hispanic Performing Arts show in New York
The truncated suns, from Spanish Repertory
Best leading actress in text theater
Nathalie Poza, Lt A streetcar named desire
Best leading actor in text theater
Ángel Ruiz, for The king of show business
Best Text Theater Supporting Actress
Mamen García, by Little Red Riding Hood in Manhattan
Best Text Theater Supporting Actor
Luis Bermejo. by Los yugoslavos
Best stage direction
Juan Carlos Rubio, for Music for Hitler
Best text theater authorship
Ignacio García May, for Essence
Best Musical Theater Actress
Teresa Ferrer, for The miserable ones
Best Musical Theater Actor
Adrián Salzedo, for The miserable ones
Best Musical Theater Musical Direction
Enric García, fear The miserable ones
Best Female Lyric Performer
Ruth Iniesta, for The wayward one
Best Male Lyric Performer
Xavier Anduaga, por The sleepwalker
Best Female Dance Performer
Rocío Molina, by Heating
Best Male Dance Performer
Israel Galván, for The Golden
best choreography
Rocío Molina, by Heating
Best scenery
Blanca Añón, by Orlando
Better lighting
Pilar Valdelvira, by Fuenteovejuna
best costume
Ana Garay, by Barren
Best original music
Tagore González, powder Memoirs of Hadrian
Best production work
Fourth Wall Company
Best company work
Evil Hair
Studies and dissemination in the performing arts
‘Don Galán’ Magazine – CDAEM (Documentation Center for Performing Arts and Music)