Abstract
Shaw’s dramatic works have been produced on the Argentinian stage for decades. There has practically always been one of his plays on the boards since the 1920s until the present, and the people of the theatre in Argentina—as well as critics and audiences—have been attracted to Shavian drama because the ideas and questions it poses have a universal appeal. Today, we can safely say that Shaw has superseded his own times, as it often happens with the classics. In addition, he has established numerous notions and situations whose artistic productivity greatly exceeds the sphere of theatre. The purpose of this chapter is to analyze how the reception of Shaw’s drama in Argentina was shaped by the differences and similarities between the professional and amateur companies that staged his plays. It will also focus on some of the challenges posed by translation, especially in relation to certain aspects of idiomatic language. Finally, the chapter delves into the resignification that the local historical context had in the reception of some specific productions that were reinterpreted by audiences and critics as having concrete connections to the sociopolitical situation in the country.
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Notes
- 1.
For an overview of the cultural zeitgeist in the early years of the country, see Carlos Altamirano y Beatriz Sarlo, “La Argentina dl Centenario: Campo intelectual, vida literararia y temas ideológicos,” Revista Hispamérica 9, No. 25/26 (1980): 33–59.
- 2.
See Ruano San Segundo in this volume.
- 3.
“Blanca Podestá, una actriz de carácter.” La Gaceta, 28 August 1926. Available at https://www.lagaceta.com.ar/nota/696433/sociedad/blanca-podesta-actriz-caracter.html.
- 4.
See the tables at the end of this volume for detailed information about the most notable productions of Shaw plays in Argentina. See also Pérez Mondino in this volume for more information on productions in the River Plate area, which also stretches into modern Uruguay.
- 5.
Osvaldo Pellettieri, Historia del teatro argentino en Buenos Aires: La segunda modernidad, 1949-1976 (Buenos Aires: Galerna, 2003), 106.
- 6.
For a brief overview of the history of Teatro Nacional Cervantes, see https://www.teatrocervantes.gob.ar/el-teatro/. A more detailed chronology (including several productions of Shaw plays) available at http://inteatro.gob.ar/Files/Publicaciones/112/2011%20Historia-del-teatro-nacional-cervantes.pdf.
- 7.
Osvaldo Pellettieri, Historia del teatro argentino en Buenos Aires: La emancipación cultural, 1884–1930 (Buenos Aires: Galerna, 2002), 534.
- 8.
This fact is particularly noteworthy if we consider that theatrical activity was much less than in later decades.
- 9.
Jorge Cruz, “La temporada teatral de 1960.” Revista Sur, N° 268 (Buenos Aires, 1961), 145–147.
- 10.
Luis Ordaz, “Caviglia,” Talía N° 39/40 (Buenos Aires, 1972), 8–10.
- 11.
For more information on Plan Conintes and the censorship during this period, see Plan Conintes: Represión política y syndical (Buenos Aires: Secretaría de Derechos Humanos, 2014).
- 12.
Perla Zayas de Lima, “Algunas reflexiones sobre la censura teatral en la Argentina,” en Arte y poder (Buenos Aires, CAIA, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras (UBA), 1993), 225–233.
- 13.
Ernesto Schóo, “Aún muerto, Shaw es siempre noticia,” La Nación (Buenos Aires, 26/01/2002).
- 14.
Norma Aleandro, “Una directora para Shaw,” La Nación (Buenos Aires, 27/10/2001).
- 15.
Raúl Castagnino, “La temporada del Teatro Nacional Cervantes,” La Prensa (Buenos Aires, 1981), 11.
- 16.
Gerardo Fernández, “Introducción a Santa Juana,” Buenos Aires, Teatro Municipal General San Martín, 1983, 13.
- 17.
Alejandra Boero, “Una paloma en el campo de batalla,” Teatro N° 7 (Buenos Aires, Teatro Municipal General San Martín, 1982), 56.
- 18.
Alejandra Boero, “Una paloma en el campo de batalla,” Teatro N° 7 (Buenos Aires, Teatro Municipal General San Martín, 1982), 56–57.
- 19.
Kive Staiff, “Primero, la libertad,” Teatro N° 7 (Buenos Aires, Teatro Municipal General San Martín, 1982), 4–5.
- 20.
Jaime Potenze, “Guía para el espectador inteligente de Santa Juana,” Teatro N° 7 (Buenos Aires, Teatro Municipal General San Martín, 1982), 14–17.
- 21.
Perla Zayas de Lima, “III. Somigliana y el teatro político,” in Carlos Somigliana. Teatro histórico-Teatro político (Buenos Aires: editorial Fray Mocho, 1995), 94–95.
- 22.
“The theory of the aesthetics of reception does not simply allow us to understand the meaning and form of a literary work in the historical development of its understanding. It forces us to situate the work in its ‘literary succession’ in order to ascertain its position and historical significance in relation to the general experience of literature. In the process of a transcendental history of literature, it reveals itself as a process in which the passive reception of the reader or critic becomes active, and ultimately it becomes the author’s new output. In other words, the following work may solve formal or ethical problems that were left unsolved in the previous one and, alternatively, it may also pose new problems” (Jauss, 1976: 188–189).
- 23.
At any rate, the political dimension present both in Shaw’s texts and in his activism is unquestionable, even in his “science fiction.” See Jameson, 2009.
- 24.
Emilio Stevanovich, “La profesión de la señora Warren ,” Talía N° 28 (Buenos Aires, Talía, 1965), 31.
- 25.
The editor has done his best to find the original English word that was mistranslated, because the original review always cites two Spanish words (one, Shaw’s, usually neutral and the other, Varela’s, typically marked as a colloquialism). However, it is impossible, in principle, to ascertain whether the critic refers to these words in particular.
- 26.
The word “chance” is an Anglicism in common use in many Spanish-speaking countries. However, at the time the review was written, it was still seen as a foreign word. Oddly enough, the word is listed as a Gallicism in the latest edition of the Diccionario de la Real Academia Española.
- 27.
The epithet “viejo” is a colloquial term of address in many South American countries, especially Argentina. Even though it literally translates as “old man,” its tenor and register are different from what Shaw tries to depict in the play.
- 28.
Luis Gregorich, “Bernard Shaw y el teatro de ideas,” Teatro N° 7 (Buenos Aires, Teatro Municipal General San Martín,1982), 7.
- 29.
Enrique Anderson Imbert, Comedias de Bernard Shaw (México: UNAM, 1977).
- 30.
Enrique Anderson Imbert, “Santa Juana,” Teatro N° 7 (Buenos Aires, Teatro Municipal General San Martín,1982), 41.
- 31.
See review in La Nación at https://www.lanacion.com.ar/espectaculos/la-leyenda-del-hombre-bueno-y-el-leon-agradecido-nid1716610/. The production moved to Teatro Regio when Teatro San Martín was closed. At the time of writing, this is the last production of a Shaw play in Argentina.
- 32.
Kive Staiff, “Mi querido mentiroso,” Talía N° 23 (Buenos Aires, Talía, 1963), 22.
- 33.
Luis Gregorich, “Bernard Shaw y el teatro de ideas,” Teatro N° 7 (Buenos Aires, Teatro Municipal General San Martín,1982), 12.
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López, L.B. (2022). The Reception of Bernard Shaw’s Plays in Argentina. In: Rodríguez Martín, G.A. (eds) Bernard Shaw and the Spanish-Speaking World. Bernard Shaw and His Contemporaries. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97423-7_10
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