Dr Copla Alejandro Postigo to Presents LA COPLA at King's Head Theatre

Experience a night of queer history, comedy and music with drag artist La Gitana. La Copla is a genre of music that was once repressed under Franco's dictatorship, but La Gitana is bringing it back to life with a fresh twist that will have you laughing, singing along and tapping your feet.

In this solo performance, Dr Copla Alejandro Postigo de-constructs the traditional Spanish songs and shares their historical significance for queer collectives, inviting the audience to be part of the dialogue. Through his interpretation of these songs and his sharing of his life stories, you'll witness his rebirth as alter ego La Gitana, all with a drink in hand and lots of interaction.

'La Copla' is a dynamic and provocative cabaret show exploring the passion and subversion of Spanish Copla in English. The show explores issues of cultural, migrant and sexual identities through narration, live music and audience interaction. Through audience participation the show addresses themes like the translation of musicals, living away from one's homeland, queer reinterpretations and the negotiation of multiple identities, being in-between genders, living in-between countries, and belonging to none for survival.

The show presents an English version of Spanish Copla, tapping into the songs' subversive performance background. During the Spanish dictatorship of Franco (1939-75), Copla songs expressed the longing, memories and sighs for the homeland of those who were repressed, executed or forced into exile. Post 1975, once in democracy, Copla songs were rescued by drag artists and transformed into a subversive political tool. This show crosses cultural borders, linguistic barriers and even history to share the song's checkered past and idiosyncrasies with an international community. Copla songs channel the queer, migrant experience, and this piece becomes an identity quest for a migrant gay actor as he progressively transforms into his subversive drag persona, who reinterprets Copla songs in English. No new Copla has been written since the late 20th century or performed outside Spain. However, in this show Copla songs rejuvenate into an inclusive, comprehensive and accessible version for audiences of all backgrounds. Sit back and enjoy snippets of Spanish history wrapped in the magical intimacy of this cabaret.

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