The Rancio phenomenon, the nickname by which the Sevillian journalist and writer Julio Muñoz Gijón is known, has long transcended the limits of literature to take shape on the theater stage. It all started with the first part of his most popular saga, The Snarling Killerand continued with the rest The crime of the palodú, garnering notable public success. Now he returns with a third part, The Scolded Killer’s Diarywhich presents itself as an even more difficult game that will once again delight fans of the series. The work will be exhibited until November 10 in the Sala Cero in the Seville capital, with performances from Thursday to Sunday, and the team called to carry it out is basically the same as that which took care of previous productions.
“The third part of a saga involves great responsibility, the public knows the previous productions and we have a higher level of requirements,” recognizes Sofía Aguilar, of Art Productions. “Aware of these circumstances, we undertake the work with all our dedication and enthusiasm, because it cannot be otherwise in such a passionate profession. In this show we continue to develop our line of work on contemporary Andalusian comedy, hoping for a similar reception from the public. “Getting them to come to the theater and enjoy it is one of our main goals. »
Another producer, Elías Sevillano, of Producciones Circulares, comments that “for this third part we were looking for a new approach, but without deviating too much from previous shows and even less from this crazy comedy register. Now everything is more psychological, and we think that enriches the saga. The setting is a psychiatric clinic, and the line to follow is what characterizes us: diving into comedy with a very good finish, offering quality shows. The challenge was very great, and the pressure very strong after two undeniable successes. We had a lot of pressure to finish well and be appreciated, while maintaining the level. The end result is very, very fun and will convince even the most demanding fans.
Love of traditions
As the producers themselves warn, The Scolded Killer’s Diary It is a prequel to the story of the most criminal Sevilletoday transformed into a text mixing diary, psychological thriller and comedy bordering on hilarious absurdity. The playwright Ana Graciani, also an expert in the author’s particular universe and in his characteristic joke, smiles when commenting that “this work gave me the same war as the previous ones”, to immediately explain that “I tried to confront the three pieces differently, so that the public no longer finds the same thing. By keeping the essence of Rancio, his humor and his Sevillian manners, but trying to give each work its own identity.
“This time, it’s about explaining how a murderer is built, his anatomy,” continues Graciani. “As fans of the saga will remember, the Regañá Killer begins by committing seven murders during Holy Week in Seville, and in The crime of Palodú He continues to do his thing. Unlike the previous ones, neither Inspector Villanueva nor Agent Jiménez appear here, who have not yet appeared in the story. There is no trace of the police plot, but rather everything that precedes: a seemingly normal character, very fond of traditions and Seville, before whom one wonders how he becomes a murderer.”
Thus, the new proposal is limited to two characters, the patient and his psychiatrist, while the loyal public plays with the advantage of knowing how everything will end: in a bloodbath full of recalcitrant Sevillianism. “The doctor tries to help this seemingly normal man, in love with Seville and its traditions. We don’t know if he succeeds or not, but he works so that the epidemics he contracts don’t get worse. In this way we managed to create a very funny story, which I hope the audience will see and laugh as much as we laughed while writing it.
Against homogenization
Director Antonio Campos also highlights that the acting work carried out by Candela Fernández and José María Peña, “two actors with fantastic comic vision”, was “very enriching, they trusted me and at the same time we tried a lot of things, they proposed a lot, and that’s normal when you have a living text in your hands and the freedom to move what you want Now, before the premiere, the nerves rise, but deep down, this. what we’re all looking forward to is doing it now.
“It always makes me very excited, you see something that you wrote in the solitude of your office, and all of a sudden you see it there, embodied,” adds Julio Muñoz Gijón himself. “But it was also a super challenge, because the book it’s based on is a man’s diary where a lot of things happen in a lot of places. Anchoring all of that in one place like a theater is complicated. I didn’t know how it was going to go, but I’m very happy with the result and knowing that the tickets were sold without knowing if it’s good or bad, that’s something to be very grateful for.
For the writer, the most important thing is “that it is a question of having a good time at the theater, but also of thinking about the drift that a city, or all cities, takes if we become homogenized and soon that ‘will have more meaning’. .” travel, because everywhere we will have the same stores and we will be dressed with the same brands. Work is also that.
