Program's Cover. Adrian Ruiz (Matias)
Jorge Almeida (the King) and Adrian Ruiz
Aymara Melo (the Snake) and Adrian Ruiz
Wings of Desire
Matias y el Aviador is soaringly good theater
By Mia Leonin Published: June 26, 2003
A regular feature of the International Hispanic Theatre Festival, which is now in its eighteenth year, Miami-Dade Community College's Prometeo continues to show its aptitude for children's theater. This year's original Spanish-language production of Matias y el Aviador, written by Cuban playwright Felix Lizarraga, even surpasses last year's version of Puss-n-Boots (also penned by Lizarraga) in its subtlety and depth. Inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince and the famous Cuban adventurer Matias Perez, who one day disappeared over the Caribbean horizon in a hot-air balloon, Matias y el Aviador (Matias and the Aviator) is truly an innovative piece of children's theater. Like The Little Prince, Matias is laced with philosophy and poetic metaphors. As the young Matias (Adrian Ruz) travels the universe from planet to planet in search of his Rosa (Cristina Garcia), he learns valuable lessons about friendship. Lizarraga, who is also a novelist and translator, uses his linguistic dexterity to create not only a wonderful children's play in Spanish, but also a celebration of Cubanidad and a tribute to a fascinating Cuban historical figure.
One of the most inventive aspects of Matias y el Aviador is the use of Cuban son as a narrative device. Director and actor Jorge Luis Morejon and guitarist Gabriel Lizarraga stand far stage left dressed in white pants and guayaberas. The show begins with them playing the clave and guitar respectively. Morejon sings a traditional son and Cesar Santos sits at their feet in a navy jumpsuit beating out a rhythm on the bongos. Santos alternates from being one of the musicians to jumping into his character as the Aviator, creating a magical connection between the action of the play and its music. Combining rhythms from familiar songs such as Guantanamera and Lizarraga's own lyrics, the play manages to revive the role of the traditional troubadour, which serves as an innovative form of storytelling. Besides his wonderfully resonant singing voice, Morejon, as the director, manages to make the transitions from son to stage virtually seamless.
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Santos is charismatic as the wild-haired, dreamy aviator and young Adrian Ruiz gives an energetic and captivating performance as Matias, the young boy in search of his Rosa. Portraying the eclectic series of planets that Matias encounters in his adventures, this considerably large cast is consistently humorous and in character. From the merchant to the lush to the geographer, each character contributes to the allegorical nature of the story, but is also quirky enough to give the play a healthy dose of the absurd, making it entertaining for children and adults alike. Matias y el Aviador is not just a well-told story; it's a celebration of Cuban culture and history that extends the genre of children's theater to new geographies, audiences, and communities.
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Where:
Prometeo, Miami-Dade Community College Wolfson Campus, 300 NE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL
Details:
Directed by Jorge Luis Morejon, written by Felix Lizarraga, with Cesar Santos and Adrian Ruz. Evening performances Fridays and Saturdays at 8:30 through July 19; call 305-237-3262 .
Subject(s): Matias y el Aviador
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Where:
Prometeo, Miami-Dade Community College Wolfson Campus, 300 NE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL
Details:
Directed by Jorge Luis Morejon, written by Felix Lizarraga, with Cesar Santos and Adrian Ruz. Evening performances Fridays and Saturdays at 8:30 through July 19; call 305-237-3262 .
Subject(s): Matias y el Aviador
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Miami New Times Archives:
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Matías and the Aviator, A Cuban Little Prince
by José Antonio Evora
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The story of the Little Prince, Saint-Exupery's character that sees with the heart's eyes, is now revived by Prometeo in a version by Felix Lizaraga tittled Matias y el Aviador, which will be presented in the Miami Dade Community College, tonight and tomorrow in the Teatrino of the Wolfson campus, downtown Miami, as part of the XVIII International Hispanic Theatre Festival. ''What I did was to put it through the grinder of cubanidad'', explains Lizárraga. ``I put in a few guantanameras to spin the thread the scenes and there were many character changes; the result will be my adaptation plus the contributions that have been made by Prometeo''.
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The story of the Little Prince, Saint-Exupery's character that sees with the heart's eyes, is now revived by Prometeo in a version by Felix Lizaraga tittled Matias y el Aviador, which will be presented in the Miami Dade Community College, tonight and tomorrow in the Teatrino of the Wolfson campus, downtown Miami, as part of the XVIII International Hispanic Theatre Festival. ''What I did was to put it through the grinder of cubanidad'', explains Lizárraga. ``I put in a few guantanameras to spin the thread the scenes and there were many character changes; the result will be my adaptation plus the contributions that have been made by Prometeo''.
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Teresa María Rojas, the director of the group, assigned this production to body expression professor and yoga Jorge Luis Morejón. Matias' character is played by 12 year old child Adrián Ruiz, who has been a student of the Children's Scenic Arts course given by Prometeo children during the last three years. ''I think that since Adrian started talking had a liking for theatre," said his mother Samantha Díaz. ``When we came from Venezuela to live in Miami, he was seven years old, and a little later we found the classes for Los Prometeítos. He has earned what he is doing now. He has worked very hard for this play, three hours every day, including Saturdays and Sundays''. The protagonist of Matías and the Aviator says that it was seiing a play what what made him do the same in front of his mother and his grandmother since he was six years of age, but he does not remember the title."Until one day I told her: Mom, I want to be an actor," says Adrian. "I love to be in front of people." At twelve he has got it, by acting in a real play with all its true characteristics.
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Adrián studies in South Miami Middle School, an acting magnet school. ''I had never done so big of a play," "With The Prometeítos I did the King when=en I was given the opportunity in El Principito, in class. Now, I have been able work the adults, get to know lots of people that are good actors and actresses." Morejón and Lizarraga have only of words of recognition for Adrian. ''He came to the project when we had already rehearsed for four months, when the actress that was playing Matias left, he joined the project," explains the director," and the eight rehearsal he already knew the whole play." Fortunately, says Morejón, there was already a rapport between him and the child, since he would teach him every Saturday. The other protagonist will be César Santos, who plays the Aviador and he is, like the 13 other members of the cast, inmigrant or sons and daughters of Cuban, Argentinian, Colombian, Dominican inmigrants--, all students from Prometeo. It has been interesting, because Adrian started with all the characteristics of of a child and he has been transforming into a teenager'', indicates Morejón. "His way of expressing begins to change, but when we have alerted him about that, so that he keeps candor of the character, he has been very receptive and disciplined. ''.
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Matías y el Aviador, Félix Lizárraga's version about Saint-Exupery's The Little Prince, is a production of Prometeo-Miami-Dade Community College presented as part of the XVIII International Hispanic Theatre Festival. Tonight and tomorrow at 8:30 p.m., in the Teatrino Wolfson campus, MDCC, 300 NE 2nd Ave, downtown Miami. Information and tickets: (305) 237 3262.
El Nuevo Herald, 15 de junio, 2003
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XVIII International Hispanic Theatre Festival
by Luis González Cruz
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Prometeo presented Matías y el aviador, by Félix Lizárraga (Miami-Dade College; direction by Jorge Luis Morejón). This student's production, under the supervision of Teresa Maria Rojas, exhibited the professionalism characteristic of her. El scenery (three circular platforms) was animated with a smart use of the lights ( by Javier Siut) and the creative costumes (of Anilú Oms). The character of Matías was interpreted gracefully by Adrián Ruiz, a 12 year old child: a happy mix of a good direction and artistic talent. Other important performances were those of César Santos (the Aviator), Aymará Ávalos (the Snake) erpiente), Beatriz Montañés (the Cat) and Gustavo Dapiaggi (the vanidoso). Jorge Luis Morejón also participated as the cantor (singer), singing with beautiful voice, to the rhythm of the Guantanamera, original verses of the author, who has made a dedicated adaptation the classic story of Le Petit Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, always faithful to the narration, but adding texts of his own that enriched the dialogue.
La Habana Elegante. Miami, June 6-22, 2003
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Exiles In Culture: Each Cuban crisis sends a new wave of artistic talent to South Florida's shores
By Fabiola Santiago.
By Fabiola Santiago.
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"Matías el aviador, was an adaptation of the classic The Little Prince. In Lizárraga's version, a guitarist sings verses to the tune of a mournful Guantanamera as the prince, named Matías, travels from planet to planet. The Matías-prince character is a reference to the legendary Cuban aviator Matías Pérez, who left the island on a hot-air balloon and disappeared, never to be heard from again.
It was a story full of the wisdom of the original Little Prince tale -- but with a touching Cuban flair. The packed theater was moved to tears, laughter and applause. And in the actor-audience exchange following the performances, it became clear that there were more than just Cubans in the crowd.
''I thought the flaw was that the work was too weighty on Cuban references -- the Prince loses his roots as happens with all of us who leave Cuba or who remain in Cuba but in an internal exile -- but the piece turned out to have universal appeal,'' Lizárraga says."
It was a story full of the wisdom of the original Little Prince tale -- but with a touching Cuban flair. The packed theater was moved to tears, laughter and applause. And in the actor-audience exchange following the performances, it became clear that there were more than just Cubans in the crowd.
''I thought the flaw was that the work was too weighty on Cuban references -- the Prince loses his roots as happens with all of us who leave Cuba or who remain in Cuba but in an internal exile -- but the piece turned out to have universal appeal,'' Lizárraga says."
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Link: Cuban/Latino Theater Archive
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