La Vida es Sueño was first published in 1635, as a philosophical allegory regarding the human situation and the mystery of life. Pedro Calderón de la Barca was a dramatist, poet and writer of the Spanish Golden Age. His work being regarded as the culmination of the Spanish Baroque theater. As such, he is regarded as one of Spain's foremost dramatists and one of the finest playwrights of world literature.
The World Premiere of Loco7's Undefined Fraction opens at La MaMa Thursday, November 19th at 7pm in the Ellen Stewart Theatre! This original piece is inspired by Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s Spanish-language play, La Vida es Sueño.
Federico Restrepo and Denise Greber conceived the performance after reading the Spanish Baroque text to express their reaction to Calderón de la Barca's famous words. The production is certain to inspire audiences both familiar and new to the work. Federico Restrepo directed, choreographed, and designed the production with music composed by Tareke Ortiz. Come see this original production as a part of the 2015 La MaMa Puppet Series:
"¿Qué es la vida? Un frenesí.
¿Qué es la vida? Una ilusión,
una sombra, una ficción."
What is life? A madness. What is life? An illusion, a shadow, a story.
"El mayor bien es pequeño;
que toda la vida es sueño,
y los sueños, sueños son."
The greatest good is little enough: for all life's a dream, and dreams themselves are only dreams.
"Y estoy temiendo, en mis ansias,
que he de despertar y hallarme
otra vez en mi cerrada prisión?"
And if I still fear I may wake up and find myself once more confined in prison?
"Pues el delito mayor del hombre es haber nacido."
For man's greatest crime is to have been born.
"Sueña el rey que es rey, y vive
con este engaño mandando,
disponiendo y gobernando."
The king dreams he is a king,
And in this delusive way
Lives and rules with sovereign sway.
"Sueña el rico en su riqueza,
que más cuidados le ofrece;
sueña el pobre que padece
su miseria y su pobreza."
Dreams the rich man of riches and fears,
The fears that his riches breed;
The poor man dreams of his need,
And all his sorrows and tears.
"Yo sueño que estoy aquí
destas prisiones cargado,
y soñé que en otro estado
más lisonjero me vi."
I dream I am bound with chains,
And I dreamed that these present pains
Were fortunate ways of old.
