(LA TIA JULIA Y EL ESCRIBIDOR)
Vargas Llosa, myself and director Jose Zayas. photo by Michael Palma
I very much enjoyed being with you all the other night for the premiere of the theatrical adaptation of my novel, Aunt Julia & the Scriptwriter. I found the adaptation to be true to the spirit of the novel and the work of the director and actors was justly appreciated by the audience that clearly had such a great time during the show and applauded so enthusiastically at the end. I ask that this message reaches all those involved in mounting this production, as well as my congratulations and thanks.Me alegró mucho estar con ustedes la otra noche para el estreno de la adaptación al teatro de mi novela La tía Julia y el escribidor. Creo que la adaptación es muy fiel al espíritu de la novela y que el desempeño del director y los actores fue muy justamente apreciado por ese público que se divirtió tanto durante el espectáculo y que los aplaudió con tanto entusiasmo al final. Le ruego hacer llegar a todos quienes han hecho posible este montaje mis felicitaciones y mi agradecimiento.
– Mario Vargas Llosa
A play by Caridad Svich, Based on the novel by Mario Vargas Llosa
Full length in Two acts. Fluid set (multiple locations).
Cast: 3 women, 6 men. *Can also be performed with a cast of six: 2 women, 4 men.
Script was commissioned and first produced by Repertorio Espanol in New York City in 2015 under the direction of Jose Zayas.
Based on the eponymous, autobiographical novel by Nobel Prize-winning, iconic Latin-American writer Mario Vargas-Llosa, Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter follows the passionate love story between a young Vargas-Llosa and an older divorcee in 1950s Lima, Peru. A boisterous high-spirited comedy with a big-hearted romantic story at its center, Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter is a play that playwright Svich calls “a coming-of-age story about the performance of everyday life, the wonderfully disordered nature of love, and an homage to the golden age of radio and the spirit of classic screwball comedies based on one of Vargas Llosa’s most exuberant novels in his vast body of work.”
Production History:
Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter was produced at GALA HIspanic Theatre in D.C. live and in person (the first theatre in D.C. to present in-person work since the pandemic) from April 22-May 9, 2021. The show now streams on demand May 5-June 2nd. 2021.
Articles and Reviews:
TheatreIsEasy.com review
Article in Broadway World
On writing the play of AUNT JULIA
El Pais on Llosa’s visit to the show
Photos from the premiere production in NYC
New York Times review of Repertorio Español production at Gramercy Arts Theater
Preview mention in The Washingtonian: https://www.washingtonian.com/2021/04/05/live-theater-will-return-to-dc-this-month/
Preview mention in DC Metro: https://dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2021/04/10/live-onstage-again-a-coming-of-age-comedy-at-gala-hispanic-theatre/?fbclid=IwAR2MlbFyiO5e5KxFrO6mjaW4JxfHTpAl2F0yzL8blqpRf9qPqVRE6eMCawk
Preview article in The Washington Blade: https://www.washingtonblade.com/2021/04/17/aunt-julia-and-the-scriptwriter-a-raucous-transgressive-romance/
Review in DC Metro Arts: https://dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2021/04/26/live-at-last-at-gala-a-boldly-comic-aunt-julia-and-the-scriptwriter/
Review in Broadway World: https://www.broadwayworld.com/washington-dc/article/BWW-Review-LA-TIA-JULIA-Y-EL-ESCRIBIDOR-AUNT-JULIA-AND-THE-SCRIPTWRITER-at-GALA-Hispanic-Theatre-20210504
Review in Forward: https://forwardtheater.com/show/mikes-picks-virtual-theater-guide
Metro Diversity article: https://metrodiversity.com/index.php/component/k2/item/467-the-scandalous-side-of-don-mario
Hola Cultura article: https://www.holacultura.com/la-tia-julia-y-el-escribidor-en-gala/?fbclid=IwAR3ulqnff_BdabP9uDXfeLG917BOxCCbCMXQTz_A_aSAdqmQc48tD_hs46A