Years ago, the nights at Paral·lel in Barcelona were bathed in the red light emitted by the giant blades of the El Molino theater. This space was the little brother of its Parisian namesake and thanks to him the avenue of theaters in the Catalan capital also began to be called the Montmartre of Barcelona.
El Molino opened its doors in 1898 and was filled with feathers and red velvet curtains to become the temple of music hall, cabarets and magazines. The dances, live music and spicy monologues give an identity to a theater that survived the censorship of the dictatorship and the puritanism of the Transition.
The project was successful until the 1970s, but as the end of the century approached it began to have difficulty filling seats. The economic crisis of the 90s was the final blow that condemned El Molino to close its doors a year before celebrating its century, in 1997. In 2010, it was reborn thanks to renovations that cost 15 million euros, but the small theater, with only 250 seats, was never viable and closed again three years later.
Ultimately, it was Barcelona City Hall which took matters into its own hands. He bought it for 2.6 million euros in 2021 and, after further renovations, the blades will shine again from this Friday.
But in this new scene, which will be managed by the same company that manages the Cruïlla Festival, there will be no showgirls or boas. There will be comedians, jazz musicians and flamenco singers. “The world of varieties, of spiciness, now has little commercial impact. When purchasing the theater, its potential was analyzed and it seemed to us that at that time it was more logical to focus on musical diversity,” explains cultural advisor Xavier Marcé.
In addition, he assures that the intention of the council is not to “do without anything” and he does not rule out being able to devote a session to the “music hall”. For his part, Víctor Partido, director of El Molino, insists that it is a genre whose acolytes are now focused on musical theater, which can already be seen in other theaters by Paral·lel. “We want to get closer to unique and experimental music,” says Partido, who adds that the new scene aims to attract a younger “and more dynamic” audience.
The stigmatization of cabaret artists
The Town Hall and the management of El Molino believe that the magazine does not have as many followers as in the middle of the last century. And they are supported by the fact that there is no offer of this type of shows in almost all theaters. But for the protagonists of this genre, this is not an excuse to do without a “heritage of the city”, as described by Lita Claver, better known as La Maña, one of the stars of cabaret Parallel.
She acknowledges that the magazine may not attract a younger audience, but she is sure it would appeal to older people. “The problem is that no one thinks about older people when it comes to creating culture. What is happening? That we don’t deserve to go to the theater? Are our interests worse than those of young people? » asks the young woman.
“I’m delighted that they’re reopening, but don’t forget that El Molino exists thanks to people like me, who went on stage, and people of my generation who sat in the seats,” says this Aragonese born in 1945. who emigrated to Barcelona to become one of the most famous faces of the show.
La Maña recognizes that “music hall” is not the most fashionable genre at the moment, but regrets that the Town Hall has not chosen to preserve it. “They think it’s outdated, that we’re old, but that’s not true. I was already doing monologues at the time, we had shows ahead of our time. And what’s more, contrary to what people think, they were elegant, well dressed, choreographed and very dignified,” recalls this cabarettist who worked at the Molino for more than 11 years without a single day off.
In any case, La Maña is not surprised by this decision. “The stigma against the ‘music hall’ is not new,” he laments. She wants to dispel the belief that cabaret performers just get naked and dance boldly. “A lot of couples came to see us and the biggest fans were the women, because we said what they weren’t allowed to say,” he recalls.
Between big jokes and tight corsets, cabaret artists also made fun of the Generalissimo when censorship was at its peak. Or they thought about how hard it is to be a working mother. Or they demanded the sexual freedom of women and condemned the machismo that tied them down. “And they had the audacity to call us uneducated. Salvador Dalí, Fellini, Rafael Alberti or Montalbán came to see us… were they also uneducated?
A “Broadway” in decline
El Molino is just one of dozens of theaters and party and concert halls that make up this neighborhood of Barcelona, also known as Catalan Broadway. Its peak was at the beginning of the 20th century, but over the years it has erased some names from this glory. One of the most paradigmatic examples is that of the Talia Theater, demolished at the end of the 80s, after being closed for years and with no one to take care of it.
“We could not let this building of heritage, evocative and historical value disappear,” Marcé says of El Molino. “It’s an element of heritage that is hardly questionable,” adds the councilor, who insists on the municipality’s desire to maintain the cultural life and historical memory of Paral·lel. This is why the Town Hall dared to buy it, to prevent the building from deteriorating and “being the subject of undesirable economic transactions”.
Neighborhood residents also welcome the reopening of its doors. “I think it’s great. It won’t be like before, but it will be nice. An open theater brings joy,” says La Maña. She also lives in Paral·lel and is perplexed by “how neglected the area is.” “With what was,” he laments. This degradation hurts him in particular because of the link he maintains with the territory. So much so that he went into debt to buy the Arnau theater when it closed, in order to prevent it from falling into oblivion. And now he’s happy to know that El Molino avoided that fate.
From this Friday, these red blades will shine again and, although artists like Lita Claver, alias La Maña, will no longer be on stage, they will give way to other musicians and actors who will once again animate the Catalan Broadway .
