The Concert / El Concierto

A comedy about Beatlemania in Castro's Cuba - published here in both the original Spanish and in English translation. Havana, 2000. Fidel Castro has just unveiled a lifesize statue of John Lennon. But former musician Johnny can remember a time, thirty years before, when the Beatles were not so celebrated in Cuba. He steals the statue and attempts to re-assemble his rock band. But dredging up the past only rubs salt into today's wounds. A fascinating glimpse into the social and cultural complexities of Castro's Cuba, Ulises Rodriquez Febles' play The Concert was first performed in this English translation by William Gregory in Havana and at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 2004. The Concert won the 2004 Virgilio Piero Prize for Best Cuban Play, and the Royal Court/NHB Award for Best New Cuban Play by an author under 35.