Rock music and Shakespeare may not seem immediately to have much in common. You might see both as a form of art, but that might be as far as the similarity goes. Well, here in Guatemala, we have been celebrating all three for being British. In the last few weeks we have been treated to a concert by a Queen tribute band, a rendition of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and a competition between six rival Beatles tribute bands. All have been hugely enjoyable, entertaining, thought-provoking, and moving. And all have been performed by hugely talented Guatemalans.
The Queen tribute band, called Killer Queen, performed in early June in the National Theatre to a crowd of several thousand. The excellent lead singer, Joam Zamora, had clearly studied every Queen music video in existence and in addition to his outstanding vocals was able to mimic Freddie Mercury’s every move as he raced around the stage. The musicians in the group were also excellent, with many supporting actors recreating well-known scenes from Queen performances. And – a real treat – they did it all with the support of the Baroque Orchestra (Orquesta Barroca) and a full 80 strong chorus in the form of the Coro Magnificat. Their joint rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody was superb and had everyone dancing in their seats and singing along – which they did with even more vigour when repeated it for an encore. In short, highly recommended and I can’t wait to see Killer Queen again! What talent.
Having Shakespeare in Guatemala is a real treat. Timed to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the great bard’s death, Hamlet is being performed in Spanish by the highly accomplished Guatemalan theatre group Escenarte in the Solo Teatro until late July. With the outstandingly good Juan Pablo Asturias in the title role, supported by an enormously talented troupe of Guatemalan actors (with the odd Mexican thrown in), and directed by the renowned Mexican Shakespeare expert Horacio Almada, it is a must. I have so far only seen pre-production excerpts and I am longing to see the whole thing.
And then the Beatles. One of the most remarkable discoveries of my time so far in Guatemala is the number of Beatles tribute bands there are here – and that every year there is a Beatles Day, when all those bands compete to put on the best Beatles performance. The original Beatles (or the “fab four” as they were often known then) were at their height in the 1960s when I was a child – so a very long time ago. But here is Guatemala 50 years later they are thriving as never before. A few weeks ago I had the huge pleasure to be one of the judges in the heats to select the final band to play at Beatles Day. Six bands came along to the Hard Rock Cafe, all excellent, all very different, and all hugely talented. Each played four Beatles songs, so we had 24 songs in all. It was a hard choice – but we eventually selected One Man Band to play at Beatles Day. It was an enormously enjoyable evening! Beatles Day is on Saturday 30 July at the Tikal Futura. I will be there!
Queen, Shakespeare and the Beatles all at once, all British, and all in Guatemala. What a treat for a British Ambassador!
Theater Group Escenarte
Killer Queen Tribute Band
One Man Band
