‘La Corte de Faraón’ to Rekindle ‘Faraón Fever’ at Manuel Artime

“La Corte de Faraón” returns to Miami’s Manuel Artime Theater for a one-night performance Sunday, Sept. 20, bringing together more than 40 performers in the century-old zarzuela. (Photo courtesy of Carlos Batista)

Maylú Hernández loves every aspect of building a production—the scenery, the costumes, even deciding which feathers belong on a hat.

But what she looks forward to most comes later.

“The magic begins the moment you step onto the stage, the spotlight finds you and the audience is ready to be transported,” says the Havana-born singer, actress and dancer. “For me, that’s the most beautiful part of it all.”

From left, Alicia Lora Salgado as Reina, Pedro de los Ríos as Casto José, Maylú Hernández as Lota and José Luis Bahamonde as Faraón in “La Corte de Faraón.” (Photo courtesy of Carlos Batista)

Hernández, who previously appeared in “La Corte de Faraón” with National Lyric Theater of Cuba, returns Sunday, Sept. 20. Miami-based production company Caro Events brings the zarzuela back to the Manuel Artime Theater for the one-night-only performance following a previous staging in May.

First performed at Madrid’s Teatro Eslava in 1910, “La Corte de Faraón” is a one-act zarzuela with music by Vicente Lleó and a libretto by Guillermo Perrín and Miguel de Palacios. Often described as a “biblical operetta,” it loosely reimagines the story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife as a farce set in ancient Egypt, mixing music, romance, double meanings and suggestive humor—with playful nods to Verdi’s “Aida.”

“‘La Corte de Faraón’ is a celebration of mischievous humor, beautiful music and pure entertainment,” Hernández says. “What still surprises me is that it was written in 1910, yet its situations, characters and comedy feel completely alive today.”

Hernández serves as the production’s general director and plays La Lota, the zarzuela’s flirtatious heroine. According to Hernández, the May performance marked Miami’s first major staging of “La Corte de Faraón” in more than two decades.

José Luis Bahamonde knows that history firsthand.

José Luis Bahamonde as Faraón and Alicia Lora Salgado as Reina, surrounded by members of the “Voices of Miami” chorus in “La Corte de Faraón.” “The key is to take the character seriously,” Bahamonde says. “The humor comes from the situation itself.” (Photo courtesy of Carlos Batista)

A Cuban-trained tenor and graduate of Havana’s Instituto Superior de Arte, Bahamonde has spent five decades working in theater, particularly zarzuela and opera. He also served as a producer and director with Pro-Arte Grateli, the company that helped keep zarzuela, opera and operetta on Miami stages for decades. In “La Corte de Faraón,” he plays the Pharaoh.

“We don’t have as much lyric theater as we used to,” Bahamonde says of Miami’s changing theatrical landscape. “It’s become more limited. Keeping a venue going is very difficult because of rents and the costs involved in producing a show.”

Caro Events booked the theater nearly a year in advance, unsure what kind of audience response to expect.

Then the May performance sold out a week before opening.

“What happened in May was something we never expected,” Hernández recalls. “The 800-seat theater was sold out, and people were still calling, trying to find tickets.”

The enthusiasm continued after the curtain came down, with audience members sharing clips and comments online. Hernández jokingly calls it “Faraón fever.”

But the September production won’t simply recreate the earlier staging.

Maylú Hernández as Lota, in white, and Alicia Lora Salgado as Reina, in gold, perform alongside the “Voices of Miami” chorus and Ballet Caro Dance in “La Corte de Faraón,” returning to Miami’s Manuel Artime Theater for a one-night-only performance Sept. 20. (Photo courtesy of Carlos Batista)

“In May we had two banners; now we have four,” Hernández says. “We had 25 chorus costumes; now we have 32. We are making it larger, more colorful and more spectacular.”

The scale is ambitious, with more than 40 performers filling the stage amid elaborate costumes, scenery and props inspired by ancient Egypt.

The company is also revisiting stage movement, pacing and comic timing rather than relying on what was done in May.

Working with Hernández is artistic director Manny Albelo, a longtime Miami director whose work in musical and lyric theater has included productions of “Cecilia Valdés” and “La Viuda Alegre.”

“When I am performing and cannot see the full picture, Manny becomes my eyes,” Hernández says. “He sees what I cannot from inside the scene.”

One of Albelo’s biggest challenges is making a libretto written more than a century ago feel immediate. Much of the text is in verse and packed with double meanings.

“The first thing I wanted was for the verse not to reach the audience as something rigid,” Albelo says. “I wanted it to feel conversational.”

Rather than rewriting the text, the company uses pauses, interaction and natural delivery to preserve its rhythm while making the language accessible.

Members of the “Voices of Miami” chorus and Ballet Caro Dance in “La Corte de Faraón.” At a performance in May , the audience joined the chorus during the “Babylonian Song.” (Photo courtesy of Carlos Batista)

For Bahamonde, the same principle applies to playing the Pharaoh: don’t chase the laugh.

“The key is to take the character seriously,” he says. “The humor comes from the situation itself, not from the actor clowning around.”

His Pharaoh maintains his composure as increasingly absurd situations unfold around him.

Hernández laughs when describing La Lota’s central contradiction.

“She is supposedly a virgin, but she is a virgin who knows absolutely everything,” she says. “That contradiction is what makes her so funny.”

That humor, Hernández says, also serves a purpose.

“Life is very stressful right now, and comedy gives people a chance to step outside their worries for a while.”

Samuel Rodríguez as Soldado Seti, left, Eduardo Arteche as General Putifar, center, and Jorge Carlos Arencibia as Soldado Selhá in “La Corte de Faraón.” (Photo courtesy of Carlos Batista)

One of the strongest connections with the audience comes during the “Babylonian Song,” one of the zarzuela’s liveliest musical numbers. At the May performance, Hernández invited the audience to join the chorus, and hundreds of voices answered.

“That is when the cast and the audience become one voice,” she says. “Hearing 800 people singing together was beautiful.”

Bahamonde measures success more simply: he wants audiences to leave with a big smile—and wanting more.

Hernández wouldn’t mind a little blushing, either.

“I hope they laugh, blush, sing along and leave with their hearts full of music and joy,” she says.

WHAT: “La Corte de Faraón”
WHERE: Manuel Artime Theater, 900 SW 1st St., Miami
WHEN: 5 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 20
COST: $35 to $60
INFORMATION: 305-967-9191 or caroevents.com

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