This Is ‘El Alma al Aire,’ The New Musical With Songs by Alejandro Sanz

Alejandro Sanz's songs serve as the foundation for a new musical titled "El Alma al Aire." The story is set in a fictional fishing village named Gazulea, inspired by the real-life city of Cádiz in southern Spain. The musical premiered at the Teatro Ocaso Coliseum in Madrid on October 1st after four years of development with Sanz actively involved in the creative process.

Sanz expressed his fascination and discovery of a new world when the songs were transformed into a stage production. "A musical is not a succession of songs, one after another, without any connection," he explained. The musical centers around Ale, a young man with a musical talent living with his mother and grandfather in Gazulea. The arrival of Alma, a real estate developer from Madrid with her two daughters, disrupts the community's life and creates a conflict between the town's future and the preservation of its roots.

The principal cast includes Pepe Nufrio, Amanda Digón, Lydia Fairén, Hugo Ruiz, Natán Segado, and 12 musicians. The production showcases the vocal and acting abilities of the cast, with a large-scale performance fitting for major international musicals. Flamenco plays a significant role in the musical, with a powerful moment featuring Inma La Carbonera as Levante, the personification of the characteristic wind on the Cádiz coast.

Playwright Álvaro Tato, a two-time winner of the Max Awards for Performing Arts, crafted the story with Sanz's guidelines: it shouldn't be about Sanz's life, and the south, its culture, and roots had to be present. Tato traveled to Cádiz to gather inspiration, feeling the Levante wind and allowing the characters and Gazulea to take shape.

Sanz's hit songs like "Amiga Mía," "¿Lo Ves?" and "La Música No Se Toca" are incorporated into the musical, with some twists in their presentation. The musical aims to capture the sense of longing in Sanz's songwriting, which naturally gives the characters a starting point to make the lyrics their own. Sanz closely followed the project's development, participating in readings, rehearsals, and meetings to share his perspectives as the "first spectator." After four years, "El Alma al Aire" begins its journey in Madrid, aiming for a long life on stage.