The Evolution of Spanish Theatre: From Comedy to Absurdism

THEATRE OF THE 45

A. Theatre Bourgeois

Inherited from the high comedy of Benavente and intended for the wealthy, its themes revolve around loving, marital, or family relationships and defend traditional values. The following types are distinguished:

• Comedy: Always with happy endings and reassuring.
• Drama Ideological or Thesis: This type is associated with the historic heroism of the victors within the Spanish Empire.

B. Humorous Theatre

This theatre represents intellectual continuity close to the absurd, owing much to the formal daring and spirit of the pre-war avant-garde. Its most representative work, Three Hats by Mihura (1905-1977), was written in 1932 but not submitted until 1952. It depicts a young man who spends the eve of his wedding at a hotel where he meets various artists and seems to fall in love with a dancer. The dialogues and situations raise an absurd humor that is a little crazy, based on a break with logic or experience, with a bitter poetic substance that falls into pathos.

Two constant themes appear in his writings: the clash between the individual and social conventions, and the problematic relationship between man and woman. After the war, Mihura eased the burden of absurdity in his work, achieving success with comedies that relied on light police intrigue, highlighting his work in Syrup Peach (1958).

Another Figure: Jardiel Poncela

Enrique Jardiel Poncela (1901-1952) is another prominent figure in humorous theatre. His work is characterized as the theatre of the unlikely, where humor springs from illogical and absurd situations. He plays with different themes such as love, theft, and the mysteries of the afterlife. His characters are marked by mania, exchanging witty dialogue with an unsentimental humor. Among his successes before the war, Four Hearts with Brake and Reverse (1936) stands out, followed by Thieves Are Honest People (1941).

Buero Vallejo

The first stage of Buero Vallejo's work is characterized by realism tempered by the use of symbols. In Historia de una escalera (1949), he presents his concept of tragedy, where characters always possess a degree of freedom, which allows them to hope. In En la ardiente oscuridad (1950), Buero raises one of his recurrent themes: the disabled and the general attitude of man towards his limitations. This work likely hides a political meaning, alluding to the need to open our eyes to the Spain of that time.