The cast of BlancaNieves prepares for its debut at the Sánchez Theater

Audiovisual culture is brimming with adaptations of the famous tale written by the brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, originally published in 1812. From the animated version of Disney of 1937, through television series, such as Once Upon a Time (2012), to the big screen with actresses Lily Collins and Kristen Stewart. Snow White remains in the imagination as the young girl who must be protected and prevented from falling into the trap of chewing that poisoned fruit. But what if you were able to rewrite its outcome?

Director Jaime Tamariz He chose the Guayaquil actress and singer Joyce Macías to star in his theatrical vision of history, which reaches the main stage of the Sánchez Aguilar Theater from December 17 to 21, in which he gives a twist to the personality of the delicate princess. “What interests me about these stories when taking them to the theater is being able to rethink a new concept of the character“, it states. “Leave behind that image of weak young people, who need to be rescued and of a prince in order to be happy. I think that this idea is very outdated and rather we want to leave a message of empowerment where the girls (and the entire family) see a strong princess, with values ​​and who is capable of fighting for what she wants ”, says Tamariz, who in 2017 He also staged Cinderella, then starring Shany Nadan (Bolivar, 2019).

However, this adaptation will not deprive the audience of the elements and other traditional characters of the story. The prince will be played by Diego Chiang, while Ana Sparrows dresses as a villain to give life to Queen Malva. Accompany them Marina Salvarezza as the witch, Claudia Campusano will be Snow White’s lullaby and Daniel Cueva, the hunter. In addition to 7 characters of short stature, among them, Andrea Verdezoto and Vicente Romero.

Production gets underway thanks to the support of Village Plaza and City Mall (where tickets to the show are exchanged for purchase amounts). “I appreciate the trust they put in our team, in our work, because it is a difficult bet in a year where the capacity of the rooms is limited. We started working in September without even knowing what would happen due to the pandemic, but they took a risk ”, says the director.

Important search for the protagonist

The search to choose her Snow White was extensive, getting to cast ten actresses, including some well-known stars, but it was Joyce who met the requirements for the character.

“In musicals there is a much broader and more difficult job for the performers because of the songs and the movement on stage,” explains Tamariz. “I loved that Joyce was a comedy actress, she is trained in clown and that allows you a certain quality of movement and physical work, which was what I needed for this character. In addition, he has a beautiful voice, a wonderful stage presence and is capable of handling comedy ”, he details.

Great performances

Snow White’s story is complemented by the charisma of other great actors, who also see this staging as an opportunity to change certain stereotypes.

For example, the role of the prince delves into the concept of masculinity and seeks to move away from the ideal of the perfect man. “We talked in an essay about the importance of working on the vulnerable part of the characterNot only the face that the character wants to show, but also the face that he is hiding, ”says Tamariz. A) Yes, Although the prince captivates with his presence and chivalry, he also shows courage by honestly displaying his fears.

Snow White also marks the first collaboration between Jaime and actress Ana Passeri, who will be the antagonist. “The queen is very hard on everyone because of how her life has been, so the challenge is to visit all that evil from the character’s perspective, without getting lost in it., but also meeting the expectations of the public and of our director ”, says Passeri.

Likewise, it will be the theatrical debut of some actors of short stature, who join the story with identities different from those of the classic tale to put values ​​such as generosity and unconditional friendship on the table. “At first I felt that we were going to expose ourselves to some kind of ridicule, because we were raised on that idea. But when I talked to the director and other people from the play, who told me about what the story was going to be like, I said, ‘Come on!This is going to be different, ‘”says Andrea Verdezoto, who lives in Riobamba, but enthusiastically travels to Guayaquil for the rehearsals of this project.

Claudia Campusano joins the cast chosen by Tamariz for the fourth time (has already been part of Cinderella and Alice in Wonderland, among others), this time as Snow White’s lullaby, the mother figure in the plot. “Although I have been an actress for a few hours, here I again become a student and with the greatest humility in the world I accept the instructions, suggestions and directions to regulate my character,” she says.

The scenery will also include the magic mirror as a gigantic structure who enters and leaves the stage and who, according to Tamariz, could be considered an additional character. The sound and the songs are in charge of the composers Juanjo Ripalda and Victor Andrade.

“I’m convinced that the theater must fulfill that important function of always carrying a message of humanity, of appreciation for others and rescuing those values ​​at this time to share them with the family is always wonderful ”, affirms Tamariz.

“They will also laugh from beginning to end, because we have tried a lot to make a very funny montagebecause we know that people want to laugh and go to the theater to have fun ”.