His London fans have been cheering the great Andalucian guitarist Paco Peña for decades. At its world premiere, his latest work, Flamenco sin Fronteras, bore all the hallmarks of his previous hits. Peña has an alchemist’s gift when it comes to mixing the strands of dance, song and soul that throb through flamenco’s passionate emotions. Here, Peña and his director, Jude Kelly, have taken a searching look at the way flamenco evolved in Latin America during the early decades of the 20th century.
Focusing mainly on Venezuela, the immediately obvious observation is that the South Americans are far sweeter folk than their ancestors; they love to sashay while the Spaniards prefer to suffer.
Peña, now in his mid-sixties, has long been in the enviable position of surrounding himself with nothing but the best. That’s exactly what he’s done for Flamenco sin Fronteras. Every one of the dancers, singers and musicians is a standout. The four dancers — especially the two men, Angel Muñoz and Ram?n Martínez — are riveting, with the women providing a stellar contrast. The elegant Charo Espino could hardly be more different from the hip-swinging Daniela Tugues. They are joined by musicians from Venezuela, adding vivid colour to the evening.
The problem is that long before the evening is over they’ve started to become too much of a good thing. If we had all gone home at the interval we would have left on a glorious five-star high. It’s not that the second half heads downhill, but that it reiterates what’s already been seen.
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The big production number at the centre of the second act, a kind of standoff reminiscent of the rival gangs from West Side Story, adds little to the notion of cultural combat that we’ve already encountered. The Latinos and the Spaniards trade seemingly spontaneous riffs, yet the outcome proves far too cute. This sequence in particular is not nearly as much fun as it is pretending to be.
Dance and music-making this good are rare. Even so, less would have been more.
Box office: 0844 412 4300 to Sept 5