This week, Mario Gas brings 'La lluna és blanca, muy blanca' to Barcelona's Teatre La Fàbrica. He calls it a 'literary cabaret.' The production runs until Sunday, tracing his personal and artistic history in an intimate format. Gas's career spans drama, opera and zarzuela, along with cinema and voice work.
Longtime collaborator Pep Pladellorens accompanies Gas on piano as he weaves stories from his life with tributes to his family and reflections on his creative obsessions. Performed in Catalan and Spanish, the 90-minute show moves between recitations, songs and theatrical sketches, creating a direct connection with the audience.
The director opens with a clown-inspired homage to Jango Edwards, then moves through poetry and music. The programme features works by Idea Vilariño and Ida Vitale, as well as Wisława Szymborska and Joan Manuel Serrat. It also includes pieces by Quico Pi de la Serra, Jaime Gil de Biedma, Jacques Prévert, Boris Vian and Luis García Montero. Gas recites verses from 'Cyrano de Rostand' and performs the bolero 'La barca.' He also references Joan Baptista Humet and honors his father with a piece from 'La tabernera del puerto.'
Gas describes the performance as informal and close-up, with the format bringing him into close interaction with the audience. It lets him address subjects from love and life to politics, drawing on his extensive experience as a stage and voice actor. His connection to Jaime Gil de Biedma takes a basic place: Gas recalls a 1990 tribute recital at the Lliure with Núria Espert and Lluís Homar, directed by Fabià Puigserver.
Gas has several projects planned. In September and October, he will present Henri Roorda's monologue 'Mi suicidio' at the Beckett, then revive 'Los gavilanes' at Madrid's Teatro de la Zarzuela in January. His later performance of Roorda's work at Barcelona's Sala Beckett was listed by 3Cat as running through 11 October 2026. Gas also discussed the piece on the broadcaster's programme La selva, in an edition published on 19 October. He has hinted at another project, but its details remain under wraps.
'Los gavilanes', composed by Jacinto Guerrero, premiered at Madrid's Teatro de la Zarzuela on 7 December 1923. The zarzuela remains in repertory: a separate Canary Islands staging was scheduled at Las Palmas's Teatro Pérez Galdós on 23 and 24 October 2026, with both performances at 8 p.m. The engagement was part of the XXXIV Temporada de Zarzuela de Canarias. Canarias7 reported that Borja Quiza played Juan and Carmen Solís played Adriana, while Ruth Terán played Rosaura and Joan Laínez played Gustavo. The production also featured the Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria and its chorus. This Canary Islands staging is separate from the Madrid revival Gas has planned.
Gas praises Teatres del Farró, which includes La Fàbrica and La Gleva, and calls for greater institutional support for their contribution to Barcelona's cultural scene. Looking back on the Grec festival's 50th anniversary, he recalls playing a basic role in 1976. Gas says the festival's energy shifted after it came under municipal management, as its collective spirit gave way to more individual approaches.
On the recent controversy over the cancellation of Lluís Pasqual's planned show for the Lliure's 50th anniversary, Gas says Pasqual is the obvious choice to represent the theater's legacy.
At Barcelona's Plaça Mañé i Flaquer, Teatre La Fàbrica gives a platform to personal, new performances. 'La lluna és blanca, muy blanca' stands out in the current season, showcasing Gas's versatility and Barcelona's changing performing arts scene.
Mario Gas was born in Montevideo during a tour by his parents, singer and actor Manuel Gas and dancer Ana Cabré Esteve. Over his decades-long career, he has worked on productions including 'Sweeney Todd' and 'Lulú,' as well as 'Incendios,' 'La reina de bellesa de Leenane' and 'El tiempo y los Conway.' Teatre La Fàbrica belongs to a network of independent venues that have grown more impressive for local artists as institutional priorities shift across Barcelona's cultural sector.
