Day One - 7th Spanish Cultural Week, an interesting adaptation of a Spanish play

Scenes from the play ELOISE IS UNDER AN ALMOND TREE, a Spanish play
 performed by the Jos Repertory Theatre,
October 8, 2012, at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, Nigeria

“If you want to be showered with praise, find a way to die” is an interesting piece of advice – and that, according to record, is what’s written on the tomb of the Spanish playwright Enrique Jardiel Poncela, author of a play entitled Eloise Under an Almond Tree, which was performed by the Jos Repertory Theatre (JRT) last night (October 8, 2012) at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, being part of the activities in the 7th Spanish Cultural Week.

As in the past 3 years that I have been watching the annual performance of a Spanish play (adapted into English) by the Jos Repertory Theatre, I can honestly report that the members of the theatre group did not fail to entertain, amuse, and educate the audience last night with their excellent acting and well-delivered dialogues. Big thanks goes to the Embassy of Spain (in Abuja, Nigeria) for sharing with us a glimpse of their rich cultural heritage in the form of a drama.

The Lagos Room of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel was filled with theatre-lovers, and I’m quite sure that many of the audience were those that had watched the JRT in the past and were impressed. Like me, they probably didn’t want to miss this annual cultural treat. Half of the credit for such a marvellous night goes to the Jos Repertory for the first-rate performance while the other half goes to the creator of the drama, Enrique Jardiel Poncela, whose compelling story and likeable characters would make any playwright or storyteller envious.

Scenes from the play ELOISE IS UNDER AN ALMOND TREE, a Spanish play
 performed by the Jos Repertory Theatre,
October 8, 2012, at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, Nigeria.
BOTTOM RIGHT: A cross section of the guests applaud the performance.

Scenes from the play ELOISE IS UNDER AN ALMOND TREE, a Spanish play
 performed by the Jos Repertory Theatre,
October 8, 2012, at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, Nigeria

TOP PHOTO: The Ambassador of Spain, H.E. Aguilar, pose with the cast of  the
 play ELOISE IS UNDER AN ALMOND TREE, a Spanish play
 performed by the Jos Repertory Theatre, October 8, 2012, at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, Nigeria
BOTTOM PHOTOS: Cast members pose with Eva Barta (extreme right on the right photo), Cultural Officer of the
Spanish Embassy in Abuja, and Araceli (second from left, left photo).

The cast

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