Havana Delirium/ Delirio Habanero
INTRODUCTION and
ENGLISH/SPANISH Study Guides
by Ana León Tavora and Patricia Swier
Wake Forest University

The Musical: Written by Alberto Pedro and directed by Raúl Martín,
Havana Delirium is performed by The Cuban Theater Troupe Teatro de la Luna,
featuring Laura De La Uz, Amaryllis Núñez and Mario Guerra. 
The technical director is Manuel Quintans and Liván Alberto Rodríguez carries out the following roles: alternate actor, production assistant, key, and wardrobe.

Delirio Habanero by renowned Afro-Cuban playwright Alberto Pedro in Winston-Salem.

Setting: Havana Delirium is set in 1990s in Havana during the Special Period in Times of Peace, marked by the collapse of the Soviet Union and Cuba’s freefall into economic, social, and moral chaos. Through song, dance and memory the actors revert back to the decades of the 1940s and 50s when musicians like Celia Cruz, Beny Moré and Chano Pozo.
Socio-historic Context of the 1940s and 50s: The play embarks upon the Special Period and flashes back to Cuba’s Hey Day of the 1940s and 50s when casinos and cabarets were at their peak, featuring nightclubs such as The Tropicana. The US had invested heavily in Cuba during the Machado and Batista era and had dominated the Cuban economy, causing adverse reactions in many Cubans, complicated by the rise in corruption that came with casinos, luxury hotels, strip clubs and prostitution. Anti-imperialist sentiments grew as the US backed Batista failed to put an end to the corruption. The impoverished conditions of many Cubans in an atmosphere of prosperity and foreign presence were at the heart of Castro’s revolution that culminated in 1959 when he successfully entered the city of Havana. 

Characters: The three characters set in an atmosphere of “delirium” believe themselves to be the following cultural icons of the 1940s and 50s:
La Reina -  Celia Cruz, the Queen of Salsa
Barbaro - Beny Moré, the King of Rhythm
Varilla - the famous barman of the Bodeguita del Media, made famous by Hemingway in the 1950s

Cuban cultural figures of the 1940s and 50s:
Celia Cruz – Cuban born singer internationally known as “The Queen of Salsa.” This diverse solo artist, considered to be the most influential vocalist of contemporary Latin music, had  twenty-three gold albums to her name. Following a band tour to Mexico in 1959, she moves to the United States and becomes a citizen in 1961.
Beny Moré – known as the King of Rhythm, was a master of most genres of Cuban music, such as the son montuno, mambo, guaracha, and bolero. Moré also formed and led the leading Cuban big band of the 1950s.
Chano Pozo  - was a percussionist, singer, dancer and composer who played a major role in the founding of Latin jazz. He gained his interest in drumming from Afro-Cuban religious ceremonies where he participated and performed. He migrated to the United States in the 1940s, when he met Dizzy Gillespie and soon after joined the Big Band Era, playing a synthesis of jazz and Afro-Cuban music.

Themes:
Racism: Celia Cruz and Beny Moré are both Afro-Cuban musicians. The first section of the play addresses themes of racism that were more prevalent in Cuba before Castro and continue to be a challenge to this day. The line “¡Qué de negros, Varilla, qué de negros!” on page 12 refers to Cuban poet Nicolás Guillén’s “Ballad of My two Grandfathers,” and his celebration of the multicultural aspects of Cuban national identity.
Exile: While Celia Cruz left Cuba and became an international success, Beny Moré stayed on the island. The work addresses the question of “those who left and those who stayed,” which is a controversial yet profound issue for many Cubans living in Cuba under Castro and abroad.
Poverty: The Special Period was a time of extreme poverty in Cuba. The scant stage scenery and La Reina’s complaints about her shoes are indicative of the lack of the basic necessities during this time period.
Music:  The music included in the play provides an important representation of Cuban culture, which has its roots in African heritage.  Cuba has five basic genres of Afro-Cuban music: rumba, son, cancion Cubana, danzon, and punto guarjira.
Below is an excerpt from “Quimbara” made famous by Celia Cruz:

Y ahora para ustedes, de Johnny Pacheco , “Quimbara” (Se oye la percusión)
Quimbara, cumbara, cumba quimbambá
Quimbara, cumbara, cumba quimbambá
[…]
Eh, mamá. Eeeeh mamá
Eh mamá, Eeeeh mamá.
La rumba me está llamando
Bongó, dile que ya voy;
que se espere un momentito
mientras canto un guaguancó.
Dile que no es un desprecio,
pues vive en mi corazón.
Mi vida es tan sólo eso:
Rumba buena y guaguancó.
Eh mamá, Eeeeh mamá.

Below La Reina sings “Vieja Luna,” [sung by Celia Cruz], a bolero written by Cuban Juan Orlando de la Rosa y Valenzuela in 1919. The bolero, which originated in Cuba’s eastern city of Santiago in 1883 emerged from a variety of influences including the Spanish bolero and the English country dance, (which became known in French as contradanse) combined with a mixture of danza, habanera, trova, and son, and other local, European, and African rhythms.

Quiero escaparme con la vieja Luna
en el momento en que la noche muere,
cuando se asoma la sonrisa blanca
en la mañana de mi adversidad.
Quiero volver a revivir la noche
porque la vieja Luna volverá.

Below is an excerpt from Beny Moré’s  "Mi Rincón Querido," that he dedicated to his home town Santa Isabel de las Lajas, located 46 kilometers from Cienfuegos. This song, which is sung by Barbaro in the play, serves as a symbol of Cuban National Culture:

Lajas mi rincón querido,
pueblo donde yo nací.
Lajas mi rincón querido,
pueblo donde yo nací.
Lajas tengo para ti,
éste mi cantar sentido.
Siempre fuiste distinguido
por tus actos tan sinceros,
tus hijos son caballeros
y tus mujeres altivas;
por eso grito: ¡Qué viva
mi Lajas con sus lajeros, lajeros.

Guía de estudio para Delirio habanero en español

Estructura

1. Después de leer/ver la obra, ¿qué relación crees que tiene el título con las acciones y los personajes?
2. El título hace alusión a un tipo de locura. Encuentra otras ideas relacionadas con locura en la obra.
3. ¿Cómo está dividida la obra? Intenta justificar esta división.

Caracterización

Haz una lista de los personajes más importantes de la obra y describe cómo son, incluyendo sus características físicas y psicológicas: ¿qué ideas tienen? ¿cuáles son sus reacciones? ¿cuáles son sus planes futuros?

Alusiones

 En la obra se mencionan algunos personajes famosos relacionados con Cuba. En parejas, intenta encontrar todos los personajes citados y haz una lista. Después, busca información sobre los personajes: ¿quiénes fueron? ¿por qué son famosos? ¿qué relación tienen con la obra o en qué contexto aparecen?

Contrastes

Los diálogos frecuentemente contienen elementos relacionados con la vida en Cuba (elementos sociales, culturales, políticos) y un contraste con otros elementos típicos de la vida en EE UU. En grupos, intenta recordar qué descripciones pertenecen a la vida en Cuba y qué descripciones aluden a la vida en EE UU.

Repeticiones

Las repeticiones de temas son muy frecuentes en la obra. En parejas, haz una lista de frases, ideas, o expresiones que se repiten en la obra. Después, pon atención a qué personaje repite cada idea diferente. ¿Qué crees que intenta expresar el autor mediante la repetición de estas ideas?

Música

La música es un elemento esencial en Delirio habanero. Los personajes cantan fragmentos de muchas canciones populares.

1. Menciona algunos géneros musicales presentes en la obra.
2. ¿Conoces alguna de estas canciones? ¿Qué canción te gustó más?

ENGLISH Study Guidelines for Delirio habanero

Structure

1. After reading/watching the play, what is, in your opinion, the relationship between the title of the play and the actions and characters in it?
2. The title refers to a certain type of madness. Try to find other allusions in the play to the idea of madness.
3. How is the play organized? Try to justify these subdivisions.

Characterization

Make a list of the main characters in the play, describing their physical and psychological traits: What are their main ideas? What kind of reactions do they have? What are their future plans?

Allusions

The play mentions famous characters related to Cuban popular culture. In pairs, try to make a list of all the famous personalities cited. Next, try to find information about them: who were these personalities? Why were they famous? What is their relationship with the play, or, in what context are they mentioned?

Contrasts

The dialogues often contain some elements related to Cuban lifestyle (social, cultural, and political elements) while also making a contrast with elements typical of life in the USA. In groups, brainstorm ideas or elements that belong to Cuba and elements that belong to life in the USA.

Repetitions

Repetitions are frequent in the play. In pairs, make a list of repeated ideas, sentences, or expressions of the play. Then, try to pay attention to the different characters and what idea each of them usually repeats. What do you think the author tries to convey through these repetitions?

Music

Music is an essential part of Delirio habanero. The characters in the play often sing fragments of popular songs.

1. Mention the different musical genres that the characters discuss or use.
2. Do you know any of these songs? What was your favorite song in the play?

HISTORY IN BOLERO