THE GRAY AUTOMOBILE, IN THE JAPANESE BENSHI STYLE
A reinterpretation of Enrique Rosas’ famous silent film from 1919
PRESS
You had to be there! The synching is absolutely brilliant and made this nearly ninety-year-old piece of history (not me, the film) vibrant and entertaining in a completely honest and unforced way. Brilliant.
David Bowie
The High Line Festival, New York
I avoid clichés like “You've never seen anything like this before,” but the fact is, you haven’t.
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago
A chimerical show. Teatro de Ciertos Habitantes, faithful to Enrique Rosas’s will, succeeds in bridging the gap between just a show and a magical and charming moment.
Armelle Héliot
Le Figaro, Paris
Theatre · Film · Music
Original text and music
Theaters and Auditoriums (open or closed spaces) of all formats
Duration: 90 minutes
Target Audience: Adults and adolescents 15 years and older
Language: Spanish with multiple translations to several languages
Number of people traveling: 5
SYNOPSIS
The 1919 Mexican silent film The Gray Automobile was the biggest hit of its day. Mixing fiction and reality, it tells the story of “The Grey Automobile Gang" who terrorized Mexico City during the chaos of the Revolution.
This 21st Mexican production juxtaposes the classic film with live actors and brilliantly improvised piano music. Inspired by the Japanese Benshi tradition – an actor onstage does all the voices of the characters onscreen – The Gray Automobile takes the audience on a wild, exhilarating ride crisscrossing languages, cultures, and time.
This is the most presented Mexican interdisciplinary production in the world, which in 2019 celebrated the centenary of the premiere of the original film.