El médico
El Médico is a Spanish musical based on the 1986 English-language novel The Physician by Noah Gordon, with book and lyrics by Félix Amador, and music by Iván Macías. The story follows Rob J. Cole, a young orphan in 11th-century England, who has the ability to sense death with his hands. Taken in as an apprentice by a traveling barber-surgeon, he journeys across the country, learning the trade and its secrets. At 19, he hears about Avicenna and his renowned medical school in distant Persia. Determined to become a doctor, Rob embarks on an epic journey into the unknown, traveling halfway across the world in pursuit of his dream.
The show officially premiered on October 17, 2018, at the Teatro Nuevo Apolo in Madrid, where it ran for two seasons. Since then, it has toured across Spain and has also been performed in countries including the Czech Republic and Germany.
Development
[edit]The idea of adapting Noah Gordon's novel was Iván Macías's idea. He and producer Pablo Martínez contacted Michael Gordon, the son and agent of the author, to propose the project. After listening to some pieces, Gordon organized a meeting with his father in Boston, Massachusetts, in June 2016. The novelist not only granted the rights to develop the show but also became actively involved in the creative process.[1]
Productions
[edit]Before its premiere as a fully-staged musical, a symphonic concert version visited some Spanish venues in the 2017–2018 season, directed and choreographed by Michael Ashcroft.[2]
The musical premiered on October 17, 2018, at the Nuevo Apolo Theater in Madrid and was attended by Noah Gordon. He wrote, "the emotion of the novel has managed to transfer to the music so that readers can now experience the adventures of Rob J. Cole in a new and wonderful way". José Luis Sixto directed, with choreography by Francesc Abós, set design by Alfons Flores, costume design by Lorenzo Caprile, lighting design by Luis Perdiguero, sound design by Olly Steel, special effects by Jorge Blass, and musical direction by Iván Macías.[3] After two seasons, El médico closed in Madrid on January 12, 2020. A planned 2020 a national tour was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]
Beon Entertainment produced a tour of the main Spanish cities directed by Ignasi Vidal, with choreography by Amaya Galeote, set design by Josep Simón and Eduardo Díaz, costume design by Lorenzo Caprile, lighting design by Felipe Ramos, sound design by Alejandro Martín. It premiered on December 22, 2021, at the Cartuja Center in Seville and toured until February 26, 2023, closing at the Teatro Principal in Zaragoza.[5] The cast was led by Guido Balzaretti as Rob J. Cole, Cristina Picos as Mary Cullen, Joseán Moreno as Barber, Enrique Ferrer as Sha and Alberto Vázquez as Avicenna.[6]
From October 29, 2024, to March 2, 2025, the Beon Entertainment production ran at the Teatre Apolo in Barcelona with a cast led by Federico Salles as Rob J. Cole, Alba Cuartero as Mary Cullen, Joseán Moreno as Barber, Paco Arrojo as Sha, and Sergi Albert as Avicenna, before embarking on another tour across Spain.[citation needed]
Musical numbers
[edit]
|
|
* Song not included on the original cast album
Casts
[edit]| Character | Symphonic concert[2] | Madrid[3] | Tour[6] | Barcelona | Tour |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 2018 | 2021 | 2024 | 2025 | |
| Rob J. Cole | Adrián Salzedo | Guido Balzaretti | Federico Salles | ||
| Mary Cullen | Talía del Val | Sofia Escobar | Cristina Picos | Alba Cuartero | |
| Barber | Joseán Moreno | ||||
| Sha | Alain Damas | Enrique Ferrer | Paco Arrojo | ||
| Avicena | Ricardo Truchado | Alberto Vázquez | Sergi Albert | ||
| Agnes | Angels Jiménez | Noemí Mazoy | Irene Barrios | María Jaraiz | |
| Mirdin | Alberto Aliaga | Raúl Ortiz | Daniel Galán | Laureano Ramírez | |
| Karim | Juan Delgado | Jordi Garreta | Adrián de Vicente | ||
| Fritta | Héctor Otones | Álvaro Puertas | Miguel Ferrer | ||
| Qandrasseh | Beltrán Iraburu | Miquel Mars | Fernando Samper | ||
| Merlin | Javier Navares | Fernando Samper | |||
| Meir | Raúl Ortiz | Alberto Aliaga | Fran León | Franc de Luna | |
| Young Rob J. Cole | Victoria Galán | Victoria Galán Diego Poch Paula González Noelia Rincón |
Beatriz de Teresa | ||
Cast recording
[edit]In July 2018, part of the team of El médico traveled to the AIR Studios in London to record the musical's album with the London Symphony Orchestra. The double disc, which was produced by Kevin Killen, includes virtually the entire score, leaving out only a few brief excerpts. Several of the voices that can be heard on the album were performers who had participated in the symphony concert but who were not in the cast that premiered the show in Madrid.[7][8]
Awards
[edit]| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Premio Max | Best Musical | Nominated | |
References
[edit]- ↑ Fernández, Javier A. (2018-10-17). "Noah Gordon: "Nunca imaginé que 'El médico' pudiera ser un musical"". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
- 1 2 "'El médico' se estrena en Fibes". Cadena SER (in Spanish). 2017-12-20. Archived from the original on 2023-05-17. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
- 1 2 Gonzalez, Juan-Jose. "EL MEDICO comienza previas en el Teatro Nuevo Apolo". BroadwayWorld.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-05-17.
- ↑ Gonzalez, Juan-Jose. "EL MEDICO se estrenará en Barcelona en abril de 2020". BroadwayWorld.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-05-17.
- ↑ Gonzalez, Juan-Jose. "Primeras imágenes de El médico en gira". BroadwayWorld.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-05-17.
- 1 2 Gonzalez, Juan-Jose. "El médico se despide definitivamente en Zaragoza". BroadwayWorld.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-05-17.
- ↑ Martín, Raquel (2018-07-18). "'El Médico', el ambicioso musical español tiene banda sonora en Londres". El Ibérico (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-05-17.
- ↑ "El médico : CastAlbums.org". castalbums.org. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
