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Las Leandras |
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This material is © Christopher Webber,
Blackheath, London, UK. Last updated January 14th
2000
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Las Leandras
by Francisco
Alonso libretto by Emilio González del Castillo
and Jose Muñoz Román
®
recommended
recording
If the
glittering career of Madrid revista or revue effectively began with
La Gran Vía in 1886, it reached its apogee some forty-five years
later with Las Leandras, first seen at the Teatro Pavón on
12 November 1931. If indeed Las Leandras really is a revista,
rather than a proper zarzuela ... a debate would demonstrate the fatuity of
pigeon-holing these unique stage works as one thing or another. However it may
be categorised, Las Leandras remains one of the most sparkling jewels in
the whole Spanish music theatre tradition. The librettists' droll
description - "a lyric comedy diversion in two acts, divided into a
prologue, five scenes, several subscenes and apotheosis" - cocks a snook at
dramatic pretension. Las Leandras is a risque little farce, full of
double-entendres and what used to be called "sauciness", tricked out
with musical numbers of more - or in most cases less - consequence to the plot.
Its Political Incorrectness, so blatant to blushful modern sexual mores, takes
nothing away from its sheer cleverness. |
 Celia Gámez, the chanteuse star of Las
Leandras |
It was written to show off the talents of the great
Argentinian chanteuse Celia Gámez, to whom the piece is
dedicated - she played Concha plus La Aurelia in the "zarzuela" scene, and her
younger sister played Fermina. Alonso's music is a piquant concoction of modern
and traditional styles. The grand sweep of La
Calesera and La Parranda is absent.
In its place we get a compendium of thirties dances blended with traditional
Madrid models, full of catchy tunes and sharply effective orchestration.
Numbers such as Pichi, the Lesson Scene, and above all the
rousing Pasodoble "Por la calle de Alcalá" are still part
of madrileño folklore, and the bust commemorating their composer
can still be seen on Alcalá, with a good view down to the
junction with La Gran Vía. Both the Pasodoble and
Pichi boast something very rare for popular songs - an unforgettably
memorable "B-section" tune. Las Leandras is proof that in the right
hands, revista-revue could be transmuted into something of lasting
value.

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Prologue. The curtain rises on the triumphant finale of a Madrid revue,
starring Concha Valverde. The chorus girls, including Concha's friend
Aurora, congratulate the budding star. Aurora's father Porras, an old
stager currently working as prompter, joins in, as does the Catalan theatre
manager Don Cosme. Little more than a year ago Concha had been a schoolgirl.
Her mother died, leaving her in the care of cousin Uncle Francisco from the
Canaries. He sent her to the Catholic Institute of Our Lady in Madrid to
complete her moral education, and he has promised her "something in the bank"
once her studies are completed. She was thrown out of the Convent School after
a riot in the Botanical Gardens and took up revue work after that, but keeps up
the Convent pretence to her uncle, with the help of a couple of schoolfriends
who bring her his letters.
Her boyfriend Leandro, a shady property
dealer of sorts with an eye to the main chance, runs in with a view to beating
up some terrified admirers from the audience who have tried to present Concha
with a bouquet. Sick of his destructive jealousy, she goes off to change. When
a schoolgirl arrives with Concha's letters, Leandro examines them suspiciously
before allowing them through. Concha has received one from her uncle, from
which it is clear he's coming to Madrid, accompanied by his nephew, a Naval
Officer he intends to marry off to Concha.
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Her cover is about to be blown, until Leandro comes up with a
bright idea - he has a hotel on his books which has been empty for three
months. Why not put the chorus girls in uniform and set up a spurious Young
Ladies' College for a few days? They enthusiastically agree to help out,
although the furious Don Cosme threatens to sack them all and refuse to back a
new show for Concha.
During an Intermedio, a medley of tunes
form the show, a large billboard is displayed in front of the curtain: "Las
Leandras, modern college of education for women, superior instruction. Girls of
15-17, preparation for convent entry, mothers in a few months, 10AM - 8PM. On
parle français, Speach Inglis, S'parla catalá."
Act 1 (Scene 1) - June
afternoon in the hall of the hotel in suburbs of Madrid. Leandro, kitted
out in mortarboard and gown, and his assistant Aurora are giving the "pupils"
an extremely dubious lesson in arithmetic, political economy, and urban
transport, packed with entendres which are too overt even to qualify as double.
(Dúo comico y coro: "A dar
lección"). Porras hasn't managed to convince Don Cosme to
reconsider the sackings, and agress to act as College Porter, a job he feels
considerably beneath his dignity. To Concha's distress Leandro has admitted
some real students - including a Canon's daughter, a little academe in uniform
and pigtails with a morbid interest in human physiology called Clementina.
Manuela Morales, a wealthy if somewhat vulgar woman from Colmanarejo with a
canary-dealer for a husband, comes in with Leandro and her slow-witted daughter
Fermina. She is to come to the school to learn cookery and other wifely duties,
whilst preparing for marriage with her cousin. Leandro explains that they also
prepare for widowhood, as witness the lesson in progress - Concha and the
girls, dressed as widows, and running through a sequence from her new revue.
(Solo y Coro: "Ay qué
triste ser la viuda"). Señora Morales is impressed by all this
elegance, and agrees to return with the money to enrol Fermina in the school.
Leandro is impressed by the girls well-developed figure, and by her money.
The short-sighted Postman arrives with some mail for another Concha,
surnamed Martinez, director of the Beauty Parlour formerly based in the hotel.
Leandro learns from him that this "Beauty Parlour" was nothing other than a
high-class brothel. One of the letters to Concha Martinez is postmarked
"Colmenarejo", and soon Francisco Morales (canary-dealing husband to Manuela)
turns up with his nephew Casildo, a sexually inexperienced booby. Francisco is
sure the letter he has sent to Concha - to whose professional services he is no
stranger - will ensure Casildo some good experience before the wedding; and
when Porras emerges, he tells Francisco that indeed the letter to Concha from
her "Uncle Francisco" has arrived. "The Canaries?", checks Porras. Precisely.
The farce is underway. When Concha appears and greets him effusively,
"Uncle" Francisco is understandably baffled, but doesn't look the gift horse in
the mouth. "And this must be the nephew you mentioned in your letter?" Yes,
indeed. Wanting to put her "cousin" off by giving him the impression of being
free and easy, she launches into a number in praise of the new divorce laws, in
which the men join (Trio
cómico: "Ahora es casarse cosa de juego"). Francisco is
further confused when Concha present the Director, Leandro, but assumes this is
a new regime who've taken over the old clientele when Leandro asks how The
Canaries are doing. Cochas takes Francisco away to talk to her companions, a
delight he willingly undertakes, whilst the jealous Leandro detains Casildo to
confirm his marital intentions. Casildo is surprised Leandro seems to know of
his marriage plans, but tells him that this Concha business is all his uncle's
idea, which fires Leandro's jealousy further. Meanwhile the lubricious
Francisco has met Clementina, a fresh vision in uniform and pigtails. Assuming
she's one of the dishes on offer, he is happy to be pretend he's a visiting
Professor of Physiology, come to give the girl a special lesson in bones; and
when she tells him about living in Ireland with the Canon for six years, his
enthusiasm knows no bounds. Time for the next lecture - which is about Pichi, a
boy doll popular at the time, who featured in a series of magazine stories. The
doll presents himself in a sexily ambiguous Chotis, sung by Concha and the
girls (Chotis:
"Pichi".) Leandro bullies Casildo into admitting the
"truth" - that he's only marrying his cousin on his uncle's orders, though
everyone knows she's no better than she should be. The incensed Leandro tells
Francisco that Concha's morality is doubtful - no news to Francisco about his
Concha, of course - before leaving in a jealous fury. Finally Porras takes
Francisco and Casildo to see another tableau in their honour, this time with
Concha as Clara Bow being entertained by sailors of different nationalities in
the port of New York (Final:
"Clara Bow, gentil star").
Act 2 (Scene 2) - A
telephone lobby off the main hall, later in the afternoon. Aurora and
Porras are scandalised by the behaviour of "Uncle" Francisco, currently
chatting up one of the dancing girls in the hall, in his capacity as Visiting
Professor. Even Leandro is shocked, though Porras points out that at least
"Uncle" is hardly in a position to object to Concha's morals, and may well
sponsor the new revue himself. Manuela turns up with the money to enrol
Fermina, although her daughter again begs her not to give her away to the
odious Casildo. Porras ushers in another visitor, a highly respectable
gentleman also called Don Francisco - the real one this time - come to visit
his niece. Whilst waiting to meet Headmaster Leandro, he uses the telephone to
ring the Canaries Club, and tells his nephew Ernesto that having found the
college he'll shortly collect him so they can both meet Concha. "Uncle"
Francisco bounces in, and introduces himself to his fellow "client", going on
to complain that he's been here for two hours without being given a proper
seeing-to. He is confused in his turn when Don Francisco tells him that, if he
wasn't a widower, he would have sent his wife instead. The verbal exchange that
follows is completely at cross purposes. How's the music here? Worse than it
was, they've moved the pianola. Much beating? Francisco hopes so. Don Francisco
leaves to collect Ernesto, well satisfied with moral standards at the college.
Casildo and "Uncle" are taken off to watch a tableau of steamy tropical love,
which Concha and the chorus perform in honour of The Canaries (Canción Canarías: "El
bailar el tajaraste").
Aurora and Porras report that Concha has
asked "Uncle" to sponsor the new revue, and look forward to a bright theatrical
future - especially if Concha will give her some solo work, and let her marry
Casildo instead. The two of them work on Francisco, who thinks they are talking
about charges for the "house service" rather than a theatrical production, and
misunderstands when Aurora offers her services as a solo act! After some
further discussion, she goes off with Casildo to "discuss business". Porras
goes on to ask Francisco what sort of women he prefers - meaning, of course,
for the chorus of the revue. After some thought, Francisco says his absolute
favourites are the flower girls at the Apolo Theatre, which transports Porras
to his seventh heaven - just imagine, a revue production at the Teatro Apolo
...
 The triumphant 100th performance of Las
Leandras, with the composer and two librettists centre
(Scene 3) Porras's fantasy zarzuela scene. First, a well-known local
celebrity, the Man with the Bowler Hat, delivers a poetic prologue
painting the scene outside the theatre, with its florists, rose sellers, its
streetwise boys and girls spending money and making love, on this
verbena (festival) night of San Antonio. The curtain rises, and we see
the street outside the Teatro Apolo, on the Calle de
Alcalá, filled with a motley collection of tradesmen including
Aurelia, a lovely young flower-seller - Concha again - and a young dandy
(El Gomoso). A scene in comically stilted verse follows, with
Aurelia rejecting the advances of El Gomoso. She loves only
Paco el Garboso ('Elegant') - who looks amazingly like Leandro. The
lovers launch into the Habañera
dúo: "Dile al gomoso ... la verbena de San Antonio" which
parodies lovers' banter in earlier zarzuelas such as La
revoltosa, and ends with them agreeing to go off to the verbena.
Paco has asked for money, but as soon as Aurelia gives him some,
he starts making excuses not to go. Furiously, she tells him she will go to the
verbena by herself and storms out, leaving him to go off to San Antonio
by himself. The music strikes up, and Aurelia marches back on at the
head of a troop of flower girls, who conclude the scene with the famous
"Pasacalle of the Roses", Pasacalle de
los nardos: "Por la calle de Alcalá", in praise of the
erotic power of the roses they sell on Madrid's favourite street.
(Scene 4) The terrace of the hotel. After a scene in which Porras flirts
with two of the young pupils, "Uncle" Francisco reappears, frantically trying
to get him hands on at least one of them. He is discovered by his surprised
wife and daughter, and when Manuela explains that Fermina is to learn wifely
duties here for the few days before her marriage, he finds himself in a
difficult position. What sort of "college" do they think this is? His wife
shows him the newspaper advert for Las Leandras, which incenses him even more,
and he chases them off. Casildo has realised all is not as it seemed, and has
at least unravelled the confusion over the "Canary Uncle". Francisco, finally
accepting his mistake, gets Casildo to fetch the wife and daughter back, and
tells Concha to keep her distance. Thinking her "uncle" has discovered all, she
begs histrionically that he will forgive her, and throws herself into his arms
at the very moment Leandro reappears. He too has discovered the truth about
"uncle", and immediately accuses Concha of taking advantage of the situation to
cavort with the old canary-seller. Matters come to a head when the real Don
Francisco reappears with his nephew Ernesto, the spruce young Naval Officer.
Another "uncle" is too much for Leandro and he violently attacks the newcomer,
who is being defended by Ernesto and Concha as Manuela, Casildo, Fermina and
Porras reappear. The curtain falls on a scene of total mayhem.
(Scene 5) After an Intermedio based on the dance music for the
"widows", Casildo tells Francisco that Concha's uncle is furious with her, and
with Leandro. Francisco in turn reveals that they've been fooled by a lot of
theatrical types, and Casildo is equally appalled. Concha comes in with her
heavily bandaged uncle, who reveals that "something in the bank" meant just
that - an offer to get her a job in a bank, as a typist! Sponsoring an artistic
career for her is quite out of the question. Calling him a Scrooge, she goes
off in tears, pursued by Ernesto. Leandro meanwhile has had enough of Concha's
"uncles" and has decided to marry Fermina - to everyone's relief, including his
own. Fermina is such a fool that he needn't be jealous any more, and is a
changed man. Before Francisco can say anything, he leaves with Fermina and her
mother. The canary-seller consoles Casildo - at least he'll escape close
contact with her mother. Porras announces that the girls have prepared a final
tableau for everyone, and the curtains open to reveal a glittering throneroom.
The Girls play flexitones, as Concha and Ernesto mount the steps to the throne,
finishing in an embrace - to the undisguised delight of the whole company (Apoteosis, Coro: "El beso de una
mujer".)
complete
song texts
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