About Zarzuela
Zarzuela is an essential part of the common heritage of Spanish and Latin American peoples. It flourished on both sides of the Atlantic. Zarzuela became very popular in the Americas, as Spanish companies would travel and present productions in Havana, Ciudad de Mexico, Cartagena, or Caracas. It was not long before the criollos took to it and started writing nationalistic works.
Mission
To foster, update, and popularize the art of zarzuela through a vibrant season of productions, educational activities, and research projects, while celebrating and promoting Spanish American culture in general within the Miami-Dade community and beyond.
The Art of Zarzuela
Zarzuela is a Spanish language lyric theater genre that originated in Spain in the late XVII century. It takes its name from La Zarzuela, a palace that is still a royal residence in Madrid. The style of musical entertainment enjoyed at The Palace of the Zarzuela came to be known as zarzuela. El Laurel de Apolo, with a libretto by Calderón de la Barca and music by Juan de Hidalgo, is considered by some scholars one of the earliest zarzuelas of significance (1657).
After a long lackluster period, zarzuela flourished again during the second half of the XIX century and for the next hundred years. The beautiful Teatro de la Zarzuela, the official temple of zarzuela, was inaugurated in 1856. It continues to uphold the tradition to this day through magnificent modern and traditional productions. Other theaters and associations in Spain make significant contributions as well.
Zarzuela was exported from Spain to Latin America and the Philippines, with many composers adding nationalistic elements. Throughout Latin America zarzuela became the fashionable form of entertainment, somehow stuck between the high-brow operatic genre and the lowly forms of teatro costumbrista (theater pieces deriving its appeal from the depiction of everyday characters, stereotypical situations with plenty of local color) - and often involving off-color material. Let us not forget- as Mr. Arcila is quick to point out- the many regional Spanish societies throughout the Americas, many of which boasted impressive buildings, such as those of the Centro Asturiano and the Centro Gallego in Havana. The latter- built around the hall of the Teatro Tacón and enclosing it- is now the Gran Teatro de la Habana. It was in the Teatro Tacón that the first Cuban performance of a Spanish zarzuela (El Duende) would take place in 1853.
In Havana, San Juan or Caracas "ir a la zarzuela" (going to the zarzuela) promised to deliver an enjoyable evening. The performance would usually be followed by a stroll or a visit to an elegant café. The taste for zarzuela- the beloved cousin of the German Singspiel, the French Comédie, and the American Musical, has remained a staple fare for the Latin American population of immigrants and visitors to South Florida.
The pervasive influence of contemporary pop culture, however, has not been kind to Zarzuela- which has been lost for the most part to millennials and youngsters, especially in the United States. It is then up to us to keep this genre viable for future generations. La Zazuela, Inc. joins its efforts with those of all who contribute to the preservation of this genre.
Vamos a la Zarzuela!
(Let's go to the Zarzuela)