The production by Gaviera company has sold out its four scheduled shows at La Salita.
The Auditorio de Tenerife, as part of its family programming, presents the show Orfeo y Eurídice: Un viaje para decir adiós by the theatre company Gaviera. The show is a co-production with the Auditorio. This family-friendly puppet performance is recommended for ages 4 and up. All tickets for its four performances have sold out. Shows are scheduled for Saturday, 31 January, at 4:30 p.m. and 5 p.m., and Sunday, 1 February, at 10:30 a.m. and 12 noon. More than 380 schoolchildren have filled the shows reserved for educational establishments.
Orfeo y Eurídice: Un viaje para decir adiós, Gaviera tells the story of Orpheus, a young musician who loses his best friend, a blue macaw named Eurydice. The puppet show, based on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, shows the strong friendship between Orpheus and the parrot, who escapes from a zoo and wants to return to Brazil. On their journey, an accident kills Eurydice, and Orpheus must travel through several worlds to find her.
At first, the show appears to be about a rescue, but it actually explores accepting the death of a loved one. It also asks questions that any child can relate to. In the Greek myth, Orpheus heedlessly looks back at Eurydice and loses her forever. In this adaptation, however, Eurydice explains to him that death is natural and must be accepted.
The work also features other subjects related to nature: species conservation, the role of zoos, wildlife trade, and biodiversity loss. All of these issues are embodied by the character of Eurydice, a bird taken from its habitat and made a captive creature on display.
The show’s style and aesthetics draw from Mascherata’s handcrafted masks, blending performing and plastic art. Notably, the puppet representing Orpheus has a space in its chest, a visual detail symbolising the emptiness after losing a loved one. These images convey and amplify what the characters cannot express with words.
The show’s jazz-based score is a main feature. Orpheus studies trombone at the conservatory. An actual trombonist performs the character’s music. Visual arts intertwine with the narration, while the score anchors the lead’s emotions. He expresses himself best through music.
Orfeo y Eurídice: Un viaje para decir adiós is primarily intended for children, though adults will also find it interesting. Society has made death a taboo, attempting to hide it as a form of protection. But we can learn to live through it only by speaking openly about it, because it is an inseparable part of existence.