Interview
Cristina Castaño
"When you are lucky enough to play such wonderful characters, you don’t get tired"
"When you are lucky enough to play such wonderful characters, you don’t get tired"
The most famous cabaret of all time, Berlin’s Kit Kat, will open its doors at the Arriaga Theatre on 1st December. Cristina Castaño will be living in Bilbao for a month to play the role of Sally Bowles in a musical that celebrates its 50th anniversary. The actress has just left the series that brought her popularity, ‘La que se avecina’, in search of new professional challenges.
– How many times have you seen Liza Minnelli’s film?
– Twice. The first time was many years ago and then again before the casting. I didn’t want to become corrupted by a masterpiece. I wanted to create my own Sally.
– ‘Cabaret’ tells a love story in turbulent times. Like those of today.
– It’s scary. When you see that ideologies similar to those of Nazism are resurfacing, you realise that we don’t remember. ‘Cabaret’ is applicable because it puts us in front of a mirror to see how far the human being is able to go.
– The story ends up sneaking into the Kit Kat. We cannot turn a blind eye to what is happening in our times.
– Neither in your time or in what happens to you in your lifetime. Sally Bowles does not want to see what is happening outside, but basically she does not want to see what is happening to her. She only wants to exist in the glamour of the show and dream of becoming a star.
– Sally Bowles is an iconic character, a test for an actress.
– Not all actresses have the chance to play her. You go down in history. Ten years have gone by since the previous version came to Spain and another ten or so years will go by until another production of these characteristics appears. And I will be there. It is a dream.
– You alternated eight weekly performances of the musical with the filming of ‘La que se avecina’.
– You do it thanks to the audience. I have never had as much energy as in that period. When you are lucky enough to play such wonderful characters, you don’t get tired. I have discovered myself to be a person with a great deal of energy and extremely active. It is now hard for me to stop. If I were doing something that did not fulfil me artistically, I am sure I would be tired because you turn into a civil servant. (Extract from the interview by O. Belategui)