Spain’s ‘The three cornered hat’ in Abuja

As part of events marking the Spanish cultural week in Abuja, the Jos Repetory Theatre entertained guests at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, with a stage performance of ‘The three cornered hat.’ The play which is an 1874 work of Pedro Antonio de Alarcó is rooted in the medieval ballad traditions and tells a series of […]

As part of events marking the Spanish cultural week in Abuja, the Jos Repetory Theatre entertained guests at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, with a stage performance of ‘The three cornered hat.’
The play which is an 1874 work of Pedro Antonio de Alarcó is rooted in the medieval ballad traditions and tells a series of mistaken identities and romantic misadventures that conclude in a merry free-for-all.
The early years of the nineteenth century were calm ones for Spain with the Church a great power, and government officers treated their commands like petty kingdoms. Corregidor Don Eugenio was a fine example who ruled one of the Andalusian cities like a little Caesar.
Near the city was a famous old flour mill owned by Lucas and was daily visited by the military and the gentry who came to eat the miller’s good food and to talk with the miller’s wife, Frasquita, eventually falling in love with her.
The miller shrewdly put these daily visits to good use. He did not give his food without subtle recompense. When he needed some wood, a word to the bishop would secure him the right to cut some on the bishop’s grounds, or have his taxes lowered. He had a beautiful life and wife who loved him deeply and sincerely despite the miller’s ugly face and the slight hump on his back. They joked together and tried to outdo each other in kindness. The only challenge was the lack of children.
Don Eugenio was a sight to see with his huge black three-cornered hat, a scarlet cape, white stockings, and black shoes with gold buckles. One day he came to the mill much earlier than usual, and the miller, spying him at a distance, plotted to surprise him. Knowing that Don Eugenio would try to make love to Frasquita, the miller hid in the grape arbor above the spot where the corregidor would sit. He told his wife to act as if she knew nothing of his presence there.
He planned his revenge over the couple for playing a fast one on him but the joke ended up on him instead.
Ambassador Alfonso Sebastián de Erice remarked that the ten years the initiative has existed has served to foster Nigerian-Spanish relations, beyond imagination. He explained that: The Jos Repertory Theatre, one year more, is facing a real challenge: how to perform for Nigerians in Nigeria a real Spanish theatre play from the nineteenth century. This is not an easy task. As every year, I am sure that they are going to surprise us.
The play he said was chosen to show societal and family values which are important to Spain as well as to Nigeria. The envoy thanked the LNG for being a part of the programme.
Dr Kudo Eresia-Eke, General Manager, External Relations Division of the LNG said the company was a part of this year’s outing following an invitation from the embassy for them to participate. He commented on the just concluded NLGN prize for literature where none of the entries this year qualified for the prize. Eresia-Eke stated that, the standards of the competition could not be lowered especially for the sake of those who had won it previously and the efforts they had put into their works.
He explained that subsequent winners will also be placed in the same category as these are and, in order not to water down the significance of the prize, the prize money would rather be used to train them as has been done in the past to make them better.
Patrick Jude Oteh said the piece was the eighth in the series of plays performed during the annual Spanish week.
He said: “In terms of cultural exchanges, this for us has been a tremendous success and we believe and know that we have been vastly enriched by the annual Spanish plays.”