There’s something Shakespearean about the Spanish Civil War, or at least the way Tucson theater troupe Shakesqueer Theater sees it.
The troupe uses the Bard’s “Henry IV” as a template for its first-ever musical, “The Radical History of Enrika la Quarta,” which takes place in the early days of the Spanish Revolution of the late 1930s.
The story, penned by Shakesqueer actor/playwright Gabb Schivone, tells the story of a labor organizer Enrika, who has lost touch with his community and the person he loves and is a bit estranged from the political movement. Rumors and suspicions of a rebellion swirl as Enrika tries to preserve the fragile and precious revolt against the fascist military that would love nothing more than to restore its power and the darkness it brought.
The link to “Henry IV”? In that play, which Schivone said isn’t on many Shakespeare companies’ greatest hits list, rebels challenge King Henry’s reign, which also played out on the battlefields of Spain, as the Republicans fought back threats to the left-leaning government by the Nationalists, who were aligned with fascists and monarchists.
“I knew that the plot really fit,” Schivone said. “You have the established order and you have the rebellions and that’s what happened in Spain.”
Schivone, an investigative journalist whose work has appeared in a number of national publications, including The Intercept, has been fascinated with the Spanish Civil War and the socialist politics coming out of the 1930s labor movement since they were a teen.
They said the divide in the U.S. today and undertones of rebellion against the established order of American politics resonate with what Shakesqueer Theater is bringing to its stage.
“There’s a lot of relevancy, more than anyone thought, when we were putting together the play,” Schivone said. “What we’re showing on stage is the horror that could happen, but also the beauty and the love and the cooperation that we can all achieve for a better world.”
Shakesqueer Theater was formed by what Schivone described as “a bunch of friends, leftist radicals here in town who are gay” who were looking for a creative outlet to explore the issues of economic inequality, unemployment and the militarization on the border through the lens of gay radicalism.
At the end of the day, Schivone said, “our goals are just to ... have fun with our friends and put on plays for our community” in an outdoor setting that replicates street theater.
The troupe started working on “Radical History” last fall, starting with Schivone writing the initial book that other troupe members workshopped and tweaked until they came out with what they will put on stage this weekend; the play opened on Saturday, March 30, and runs through Saturday, April 6, on an outdoor stage at Blacklidge Community Collective, 101 E. Ventura St., off North Sixth Avenue. Performances start at 7 p.m., and admission is $10-$20, although no one is turned away.
Unlike its six previous productions, which featured budgets in the hundreds of dollars, “Radical History” has an $8,000 budget. Expenses include creating a stage from wood planks and plastic milk crates, all painted black, and a 10-foot backdrop painted with scenes of a forest and cityscape.
Some 30 troupe members are involved in the production; Schivone plays three characters and learned to play harmonica alongside other cast members. The show borrows from the 1930s politically-charged protest songs by iconic American folk singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie, including “Dirty Overalls (My Dirty Overhauls)” and “All You Fascists Bound to Lose;” the Italian protest song “Bella Ciao;” and Phil Oakes’ “Love Me, I’m A Liberal.”
“Radical History” will be performed in English and Spanish.
Demolition of the former Century Park 16 theaters on Grant Road began Feb. 20 near Interstate 10. The Pascua Yaqui Tribe plans to build a new casino in its place. Tribal Council members and the mayor of Tucson spoke moments before the construction crew began tearing down the walls.
Video by Pascal Albright / Arizona Daily Star
