Ayer fue un domingo diferente, aprovechando que por estos días La Habana está envuelta en su Festival de Teatro, volví a hacer algo que me gusta mucho y llevaba tiempo sin hacer, precisamente, ir al teatro. Esta vez la escapada fue al Karl Marx y no fui a ver una obra dramática, sino a un espectáculo humorístico por los 31 años del Centro Promotor del Humor. Con un elenco de estrellas estaba lista para soltar mis estridentes carcajadas, que buena falta nos hace la risa a los cubanos para poder lidar con nuestra cruz.
Hello, my friends. It's a pleasure to greet you and to be back in this theater-loving community.
Yesterday was a different kind of Sunday. Taking advantage of the fact that Havana is currently immersed in its Theater Festival, I went back to doing something I really love and hadn't done in a long time: going to the theater. This time, the outing was to the Karl Marx Theater, and I didn't go to see a drama, but a comedy show for the 31st anniversary of the Centro Promotor del Humor (Humor Promotion Center). With a cast of stars, I was ready to let out my loud guffaws; we Cubans really need laughter to help us deal with our cross to bear.
"De viento el chicharrón, sin cola y sin matazón, pa' que se te olvide el apagón".
I arrived super early (2 pm), as usual, but this allowed me to take a walk around the area, enjoy the scenery, the sea, and also take lots and lots of photos of this beautiful part of the Cuban capital, Miramar. Outside the theater, there was an arsenal of street vendors offering all kinds of food and drinks. Among them was a man selling a popular, homemade national product: chicharrón de viento (a puffy, fried pork rind snack). What caught my attention the most was his original, friendly, and rhyming sales pitch:
"Thechicharrón de viento, with no pig's tail and no slaughter, to make you forget about the power outage".
Comprar la entrada no fue problema, aunque no imaginaba que los precios de los espectáculos hubieran subido tanto. 300 pesos costó el ticket de entrada. La ultima vez que fui a un teatro, antes de esta, las entradas costaban 50 pesos. Luego supimos, porque lo dijo uno de los miembros del espectáculo, que toda la recaudación sería para enviarla a la zona oriental a los afectados por el huracán Melissa. Entonces quedé un poco más conforme al saber que mis 300 pesos servirían para tal fin.
Buying the ticket wasn't a problem, although I hadn't imagined that show prices had gone up so much. The entry ticket cost 300 pesos. The last time I went to a theater, before this, tickets cost 50 pesos. We later found out, because one of the members of the show said it, that all the proceeds would be sent to the eastern zone to help those affected by Hurricane Melissa. So I felt a little better knowing that my 300 pesos would serve that purpose.
A las 4.30 pm entramos al teatro. Mientras esperábamos que empezara la función a las 5 pm, dos pantallas gigantes nos entretenían con variados videos musicales. El aire acondicionado estaba en el punto perfecto, era algo que me preocupaba antes entrar dada la crisis energética de este país.
At 4:30 pm we entered the theater. While we waited for the show to start at 5 pm, two giant screens entertained us with various music videos. The air conditioning was at the perfect temperature, which was something I was worried about before entering, given this country's energy crisis.
Ya sentada en mi butaca, volví a experimentar esa grata emoción de espectativa que extrañaba tanto. El teatro se llenó, y para llenar el Karl Marx hace falta gente, pero es que el cubano está ávido de entretenimiento y de romper con las rutinas. Cuando el telón comenzó a subir a las 5.05 pm (la puntualidad no es virtud de los cubanos) se escuchó el primero de muchos aplausos colectivos.
Once seated in my seat, I once again experienced that pleasant feeling of anticipation that I had missed so much. The theater filled up, and to fill the Karl Marx you need a lot of people, but it's just that Cubans are eager for entertainment and to break with their routines. When the curtain began to rise at 5:05 pm (punctuality is not a Cuban virtue), the first of many collective applauses was heard.
Cada humorista que pasó por el escenario nos hizo sentir en un estado de éxtasis. Se estableció una excelente complicidad, era como si no existiera nada más en el mundo que ellos y nosotros.
Every comedian that took the stage made us feel ecstatic. An excellent rapport was established; it was as if nothing else in the world existed except them and us.
Hacía rato no me reía tanto, estuve a punto, literalmente, de orinarme de la risa. Todo el que estaba allí se divirtió de lo lindo, las risas y carcajadas no cesaban. Es que el humor cubano es tan particular que somos capaces de reírnos de nuestras propias desgracias. Que no lo veo mal, es un antídoto para contrarrestar el estrés, el escuatro y hasta el escinco.
It had been a long time since I laughed so hard; I literally almost peed my pants from laughing. Everyone there had a fantastic time; the laughter and guffaws didn't stop. Cuban humor is so particular that we are able to laugh at our own misfortunes. I don't see that as a bad thing; it's an antidote to counteract stress, the "escuatro" (hardship/squalor), and even the "escinco" (a play on words suggesting an even worse situation).
De lo que costó el pasaje de ida y regreso no pregunten porque no quiero llorar después de haber reído tanto. Ahora toca recuperarse del golpe para poder volver a disfrutar, en alguna otra ocasión, el placer de ver subir y bajar el telón.
Don't even ask about the cost of the round-trip fare, because I don't want to cry after having laughed so much. Now it's time to recover from the financial hit so that I can once again enjoy, on some other occasion, the pleasure of seeing the curtain rise and fall.
Gracias por visitar mi blog
Texto e imágenes de mi propiedad
Thanks to visite my blog
Text and imagen are my own
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