Mad About Madrid

2007 Festival de Otoño

For the 24th year running the Festival de Otoño returns to Madrid. A combination of music, theatre, dance and circus from around the world will entertain visitors and Madrileños for the coming 5 weeks. The event runs from the 15th October to the 18th November and is held is venues across the city.

The Theatre companies who are represented include: Britain's National Theatre, La Comédie-Française, Piccolo Teatro di Milano, Josep Maria Mestres.

Dance companies attending include: Les Ballets C. de la B., Compañía Blanca Li, Toneelhuis. Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Compañía Carlotta Sagna.

On the music front Caetano Veloso, Companyia Carles Santos, David Sylvian, Philip Glass and Compagnia dell' Ambra will all be performing.

For more information, visit the Festival de Otoño website.

Shameless Advertising!!

Angelika Cinema Lounge Madrid

There's a bar/cafe down on Madrid's Cava Baja that I have walked past on a number of occasions - never actually going into it, until now. I wasn't quite sure what to make of it - a video selection as you walked in, high stools around a bar, a smart Apple monitor also behind the bar and plasma TV screens showing popular films (last week they were showing Volver).

Well, last week I went out for a few drinks with my wife, her brother-in-law and his wife and we ventured in. Angelika Cinema Lounge is very different to your typical Spanish bar - firstly, there is a no-smoking policy (don't get me started on the ridiculous no-smoking policies in Madrid!), secondly, you can hire a DVD from their superb selection of films and thirdly, the bar staff at Angelika are acting professionals, who you can ask film advice of.

Though we went in there late I can still remember that they were playing the Bill Murray film Lost in Translation! Films are projected on plasma screens around the bar and, from what I can gather, they all use the original soundtrack (no dubbing). Angelika offers a wide range of drinks and food - coffees, teas, spirits and some great pastries. As it was so late I had a gin and tonic, which from my perspective (at around 2 a.m.!) seemed to be very carefully prepared - gin poured over ice and the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon - delicious!

It also offers a free wi-fi zone and I can't think of more pleasant surroundings to do some work, or even to surf. On different days they offer screenings, short films and cinema debates.

Location

Click Map to view location on Google.

Address: Cava Baja 24, 28005 Madrid, Spain

Telephone: 913 645 531
Web Address: http://www.angelika.es/

Ballet Nacional Returns to Madrid

From the 15th to the 25th March, 2007 you will have a chance to see one of Spain's most famous flamenco dancers, Antonio Canales. There are three parts to the show: Cambalache, Dualia y Caprichos - the first part was created by Antonio Canales and also features him as one of the dancers. The performances can be seen at the Teatro La Zarzuela and ticket prices range from 11 to 32 euros.

Click for Google Map details.

December Suggestions from Metrópoli

Metrópoli has a really good guide to what you can do in Madrid this December - it is in Spanish, though. They have come up with 150 suggestions for what you can do in the coming weeks - eat, drink, be merry and much more. Interestingly, they have broken them down into 15 categories - based on different types of personality. These range from the sportsman (woman), the art lover, the over 65's, under 18's, the shopaholics, singles, and a good few more. There are some really cool suggestions here - there is even a category for those who think they're cool!!

Christmas Programme for Madrid

If you'd like an "exhaustive" programme of activities on in Madrid this Christmas, download [pdf] the esMadrid magazine. Be aware this is quite a "beefy" 8MB pdf!!

50% off Theatre Tickets in Madrid

A new initiative in Madrid aims to offer people up to 50% off theatre prices for performances, when bought two hours beforehand. Located in the Plaza del Carmen, the Last Minute Box Office lets you buy tickets at 21 of Madrid's theatres and this initiative is likely to be extended in the future to include music, dance and circuses. Once purchased, you can go direct to the theatre without having to drop by at the box office.

Here are a list of the 21 theatres: Teatro Albéniz,  Teatro Alcázar,  Gran Vía,  Fígaro,   Infanta Isabel,  Amaya,  Victoria,   Alfil,  La Latina,   Teatro de Madrid, Muñoz Seca,  Reina Victoria, Arlequín,  El Canto de la Cabra,  Teatro Triángulo, Sala Cuarta Pared,  Pradillo,  Sala Ítaca,  Teatro Lagrada,  Teatro Estudio Liberarte and  Guindalera Escena Abierta.

Imagine India Film Festival

From today, 16th May, 2006, until the 23rd May the fifth edition of the Festival ImagineIndia will take place. It will see over 40 Indian films being projected in 3 of Madrid's cinemas -  Cine Estudio de Círculo de Bellas Artes, Filmoteca Española and Cine Palafox. This follows hot on the heels of a Spanish film festival that was held in India in February. Aside from showing a wide selection of Indian films, there will also be a retrospective of the work of Mira Nair.

Workplay by Andrew Losowsky Opens at the Alternativa Theatre Festival

I just had an email from Andrew Losowsky, a journalist/photographer/author, who has written to inform me that his new play - Workplay - will be premiering on 21st February (until 26th) at the Teatro Independiente Sur.

It's called Workplay, and it's premiere is next Tuesday, as part of the La Alternativa theatre festival. It's the only English language production in the festival. The director is Tom Wright, a London theatre director who has flown over especially to direct the piece.

According to Andrew's weblog, Workplay is:

"A Hitchcock-style drama about strange people and ordinary jobs. If work was nothing but a game,  would you know when to stop playing? An unsettling new play with sharp dialogue where nothing is what it seems.

I wish him all the very best!

Ticket Prices: 10 Euros 
Address: c/ Primavera, 11
Tel: 91 528 13 59 664 345 789
Metro: Lavapiés

Tamara Rojo in Blancanieves (Snow White)

Having had its world premiere in Bilbao last week, the Ballet "Blancanieves" (Snow White) will première in Madrid's Teatro Albéniz on the 9th November and will run until the 13th November. The star of the show is Tamara Rojo, the principal dancer of the Royal Ballet Covent Garden. The Ballet is described as the first purely Spanish Ballet - the choreographer and stage manager is Ricardo Cué; the musical score is by Emilio Aragón who directs the Orquesta Sinfónica de la Comunidad de Madrid; the principal dancers are Spanish as are the costume and lighting designers. This is actually quite a rare opportunity to see Tamara Rojo dance in Spain - the last time was 5 years ago.

Dates: 9th - 13th November, 2005
Time: 8.30 p.m. (except Sunday: 7 p.m.)
Tickets: from 20 to 5 Euros - can be bought at the box office or from www.entradas.com (902 488 488)

Festival de Otoño

Starting on October 6th and running for a full month, Madrid will host its yearly autumn festival, the Festival de Otoño. The festival showcases dance, music and theatre companies from around the world and is held in the major Madrid theatres: the Teatro de la Zarzuela, Teatro Madrid, the Círculo de Bellas Artes and Teatro Albéniz, to name but a few. Here is a brief overview of some of the artists and performances which will feature during this month:

Music
Joan Manuel Serrat; Elza Soares; Dead Capo; La Capella Reial de Catalunya and Hespèrion XXI and Racalmuto

Theatre
Shakespeare's A Winter's Tale and Measure for Measure (in English); Sophocles' Antigone (in Brazilian); Macbeth and Othello (in Lithuanian) and Stupidity and Versión Original Subtitulada (in Spanish) - all plays have subtitles in Spanish

Dance
Dance companies from Spain, UK, Belgium and France will be performing across the theatres of Madrid.

The website also has a list of venues, with accompanying prices and addresses.