It’s a Classic Spanish Play--As You Like It

Nearly 100 years before Shakespeare dipped his quill into an inkwell, Fernando de Rojas wrote a tale of lust, lechery and greed that would become a Spanish classic. Now, thanks to the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts, audiences can enjoy the play in Spanish or English, without subtitles.

Alternating weeks of Spanish and English performances of “La Celestina” (The Spanish Bawd) begin Tuesday in Spanish at the foundation’s Little Theatre, 421 North Ave. 19, Los Angeles.

The same cast performs both versions, a daunting challenge, but one that the foundation’s performers can handle, said Carmen Zapata, the producing director.

“A good actor is a good actor no matter what language,” Zapata said. She should know. Since 1946, Zapata has starred in numerous plays, TV shows and films, including one of this summer’s box office hits, “Sister Act.”

Zapata, artistic director Margarita Galban and set designer Estela Scarlata established the foundation in 1973 to preserve and promote Latino literature in the Los Angeles area by reaching out to Spanish- and English-speaking audiences not generally served by the arts community.

“Some people have tried to pigeonhole us a minority theater, but we’re not,” Zapata said. “What we’re doing is presenting world drama.”

In “La Celestina,” the main character arranges amorous encounters between men and women, said Maria Rivera, the play’s director. “It’s a play about greediness and lust with a touch of social criticism,” she said. However, what begins as a comedy with lovesick suitors and naive women turns tragic when innocence is soured by jealousy, greed and class distinctions.

Margarita Stocker, who plays the lead and helped translate the work, said her character “weaves, spins and manipulates, always extracting a price” for her efforts.

For the foundation, Galban pared the unwieldy seven-hour play down to just over two hours. The result is a play that still retains the bite De Rojas intended when he wrote it in 1499, she said.

Spanish previews of the play will be Tuesday through Thursday at 8 p.m.; opening night in Spanish is Friday. Previews in English begin Sept. 29; opening night is Oct. 2. Thereafter, performances alternate languages each week through Dec . 6. Tickets: $18 for opening nights, $15 for all other performances and $8 for previews. Call (213) 225-4044.