Episodio 66: Broadway!

Duolingo English for Spanish Speakers Podcast

Era 2018 y en el escenario había comenzado la función de un musical llamado The Prom, en un teatro de Broadway, en la ciudad de Nueva York.

Al final del primer acto, el telón se cerró.

El actor Josh Lamon estaba sentado detrás del escenario, de repente, el director se le acercó a Josh corriendo y le dijo: “Tienes que reemplazar a Brooks”, o “You’re on for Brooks”.

I was reading a book because I didn’t expect to perform that night.

So I thought he was joking, I laughed and said, “Yeah, sure.

Very funny.” But he was serious! Then he said it again: “You’re on for Brooks.

Right now.”

Brooks Ashmanskas era el nombre del famoso actor principal.

Pero esa noche tuvo gripe y, a mitad del espectáculo, se dio cuenta que se sentía demasiado mal para terminar la obra.

Josh era su suplente, o understudy, un actor contratado para reemplazarlo, si es que alguna vez no podía actuar, como ahora.

¡Y Josh tuvo solo diez minutos para prepararse!

I got ready as fast as I could.

I put on my costume and my microphone.

I tried to stay calm, but I was so stressed! Hundreds of people in the audience were just waiting for me to go on stage.

I was not expecting this to happen! But as an understudy, I always had to be ready.

In that moment, all I was thinking was: I’m either going to go on for Brooks, or I’m going to run out of the theater and never work again.

Welcome, bienvenidos y bienvenidas a “Relatos en inglés”, un podcast de Duolingo.

Soy Diana Gameros.

En cada episodio podrás practicar inglés a tu propio ritmo, escuchando historias reales y fascinantes contadas por las personas que las vivieron.

En este episodio, seremos testigos de la vida detrás de escena en Broadway, el famoso distrito de teatros históricos con los actores más talentosos del mundo.

Josh creció en la década de los ochenta, en un área rural en las afueras de San Diego en el estado de California.

Desde que era pequeño, siempre soñó con trabajar en un musical de Broadway.

There weren’t many people like me in the town where I grew up.

I loved singing, dancing, and making people laugh.

I was also gay, but not a lot of people knew that.

In my small town, if you didn’t play sports or work on a farm, everyone thought you were different.

That was me.

Cada año, Josh miraba los Tony Awards, también conocidos como “Los Tonys”.

Son como los premios Oscar pero de los espectáculos de Broadway.

I dreamed of going to one of those shows I wondered what it was like to be friends with actors, and I listened to the songs from the shows again and again.

I even performed songs by myself in my bedroom.

To me, Broadway was magic.

Josh amaba tanto los musicales que cuando sus padres lo llevaron de viaje a Nueva York, lo primero que compró fue un ticket para ver un espectáculo de Broadway: La Bella y la Bestia.

The theater was beautiful.

Everyone was dressed up, and it was a very elegant event.

It was also amazing because everyone there loved musical theater as much as I did.

I finally felt like I was in the right place.

Después de ese espectáculo Josh decidió que tenía que encontrar la manera de transformar su pasión en una carrera profesional.

Después de terminar la escuela secundaria, en el verano del 2003, viajó a Nueva York y trató de entrar al mundo de Broadway a través de las audiciones, o auditions.

When I went to auditions, I didn’t always look like everyone else.

Sometimes, I wasn’t as thin or as attractive as the other actors, but I had a lot of passion.

I usually arrived at 4:00 am and waited in a line outside a theater.

And sometimes there were more than 1,000 people in the line! We each got to sing for about 30 seconds before the audition was over.

En 2005, Josh finalmente consiguió participar en su primer gran espectáculo de Broadway: Wicked, que cuenta la historia de las brujas del Mago de Oz.

Muchos de los espectáculos más populares de Broadway se van de gira por los Estados Unidos para que el público de otras ciudades tenga la oportunidad de verlos.

Y ese fue el caso de Wicked.

After Wicked, I worked in smaller shows for the next two years.

One show was in the city of Philadelphia and another was at a children’s theater in the state of New Jersey.

After a while, I got tired and lonely staying in hotels.

It also wasn’t the same as performing on Broadway in New York City.

I was 27, and my career wasn’t as successful as many of my friends’ careers.

I was starting to consider leaving the theater business.

El representante de Josh lo motivó para que no se rindiera.

Él quería que Josh se presentara a una audición más: el papel era para ser suplente de uno de los intérpretes secundarios en Hair, un musical de rock ambientado en la década de los sesenta.

When I was invited to an audition for Hair, I didn’t think it was worth my time to go.

I thought, “They’re only looking for young, cool people with long hair, but I’m fat and bald.” They kept calling me back for more auditions, but I just didn’t think they were going to give me the job.

I called my agent and said, “I don’t think I can do this anymore.

I think I want to quit.” But then he called me back and gave me the good news: They chose me to be an understudy in Hair! I was going to work on Broadway.

I was in shock, and I was so excited!

Los suplentes son los héroes anónimos de Broadway.

Son actores de reemplazo que toman el lugar de un actor que se enferma, o tiene una emergencia o simplemente se queda atascado en el tráfico de la ciudad de Nueva York.

Tienen que aprender todas las frases, o lines, del actor principal.

An understudy is a person in the show who fills in if something happens to the regular actors.

Understudies know all of the lines for many characters in a show.

We always have to be ready in case we need to perform.

Una noche, un actor del espectáculo se torció el tobillo durante el ensayo matutino y le dijeron a Josh que tendría que asumir su papel en la función de la noche.

Josh finalmente había cumplido su deseo: por primera vez en su vida, estaba a punto de actuar en un escenario de Broadway en la ciudad de Nueva York.

I stood outside the theater and called my mom.

I said, “I’m about to perform on Broadway! It’s happening!”

Después de Hair, Josh participó en otros espectáculos de Broadway, tanto como suplente como en papeles principales.

Understudies are very valuable because without performers, there is no show.

But it’s a hard job, and you have to be at every show.

And even when you do get to go on stage, the audience might not be excited to see you.

La noche en que Josh tuvo que ir en la mitad del espectáculo a reemplazar a Brooks, el actor principal del musical The Prom, estaba nervioso de que al público no le gustara su actuación.

I got dressed quickly.

I was trying to remember my lines, and then I heard the announcement that Brooks wasn’t going to be in the second act of the show.

The audience sounded so upset, and I could hear everything they were saying! But then the orchestra started to play, and it was time to go on stage.

Josh salió al escenario pero su cara era nueva para el público.

Él sabía que tenía que hacer algo para romper el hielo.

Así que improvisó.

When I walked on the stage, I had to go through a door and into a room where another character was sitting.

So I just knocked on the door and said, “Hi, it’s me.

I know I look a little different…” And the audience started laughing and cheering.

They liked me! After that, I started to relax.

Josh pudo experimentar otro momento gratificante esa misma noche.

Ocurrió cerca del final del espectáculo, cuando llegó a cantar la canción más importante del personaje principal: se conoce como “the 11 o’clock number”.

The “11 o’clock number” is what we call the big song that comes near the end of the show, around 11 o’clock at night.

And I never expected I would get to do it.

Para Josh, interpretar esta canción le generó una emoción muy personal.

The character I played in The Prom is very special to me because he reminds me of myself.

And in the 11 o’clock number, my character is emotional because he’s finally allowed to go to the dance at his school.

He finally feels like people accept him.

And I was feeling the same way.

I’m a big guy, and I’m gay, but I was on stage on Broadway, singing and dancing in front of hundreds of people.

And the audience loved me! There’s no better feeling in the world.

Al igual que Josh en la gira de Wicked, nuestra siguiente protagonista también encontró su pasión en un espectáculo itinerante de Broadway, casi por accidente, con solo diez años.

Apenas Natalia Artigas aprendió a hablar, comenzó a cantar, mayoritariamente canciones de musicales como Annie, The Little Mermaid y su favorito: Frozen, de Disney.

Es la historia de una niña que viaja a través de un reino invernal para encontrar a su hermana, Elsa, la Reina de las Nieves.

When I was three years old, I used to watch Frozen about three times a week — every week.

I always sang all the songs from the movie, like “Let It Go” and “Do you Want to Build a Snowman?” After that, I basically sang any song I heard.

And then, when I was six, I started taking singing lessons and acting in plays at a theater in my town, just for fun.

En 2021, justo después de que Natalia cumpliera diez años, su profesora de canto le habló de una gran oportunidad: el musical de Broadway Frozen se iba de gira por los teatros de todo el país y los productores buscaban el papel de la joven Elsa.

My teacher said I should audition for the show! Of course, I was really excited to do that because I’ve always felt a connection with Elsa.

She’s my favorite character ever.

I didn’t expect them to choose me for the show, but I thought it could be fun to try.

En su casa en el estado de Nueva Jersey, la madre de Natalia la filmó cantando una de las grandes canciones de Elsa.

Enviaron el video, pero Natalia se olvidó del asunto hasta unas semanas después, cuando la familia estaba reunida a punto de ver una película en la sala de su casa.

I was trying to decide which movie to watch with my brothers, when my parents started recording me on their phones.

I thought it was really strange.

But then, my dad handed me a card, and I opened it.

Inside, it said “Congratulations!” I got the role of Elsa!

¡Natalia había sido seleccionada para el espectáculo! En ese instante, todo cambió.

Instead of going swimming with my brothers every day, I suddenly had to think about the show and learn my lines.

And when all of my friends were going back to school, I had to travel all over the country and perform on huge stages with some very talented actors.

I was sad to give up my normal life for a while, but I was also so excited to start this adventure!

Primero, ella y su madre tuvieron que ir a Nueva York para que le tomaran las medidas para su vestuario.

We took the train from New Jersey and came out in Times Square.

It was very crowded and loud, with lots of cars and people talking and shouting.

There were people playing music and dancing right there on the street, with big crowds of people watching them.

Llegaron a un edificio donde se confeccionan todos los accesorios para todos los musicales de Disney.

Allí, los fabricantes de pelucas tenían que asegurarse de que el icónico cabello plateado de la joven Elsa encajara perfectamente en la cabeza de Natalia.

We went into a room and there were wigs everywhere! I’m pretty sure they were made from real hair.

Then, they put on my blond wig.

And when I looked in the mirror, I looked like a totally different person.

Unas semanas después, llegó el momento en el que Natalia viajaría a Buffalo, Nueva York, la primera ciudad de la gira.

Allí, por primera vez, conocería al resto del elenco y comenzarían los ensayos.

Natalia subió al auto con su familia y comenzaron el viaje de seis horas hacia Buffalo.

I was so excited to go into the theater for the first time.

I ran around with the other kids in the show, and we had a lot of fun looking at everything.

It was such a big and beautiful theater.

Así fue como Natalia pudo ver cómo se hace gran parte de la magia de Broadway.

Los efectos especiales de Frozen eran verdaderamente emocionantes.

Young Elsa does a lot of magic, which is so much fun.

There’s one scene where my character waves her hands, and then the whole stage lights up and snow starts to fall — just like in the movie.

When I found out how they did those special effects, I was amazed.

But they told me if people ask about it, I should just smile and say: “It’s Disney magic.”

Natalia y los demás actores jóvenes tenían que llegar temprano para ensayar, o rehearse.

The kids had to learn a lot, so we rehearsed our lines for a week before the adult actors arrived.

Then we all rehearsed together.

The first time I heard the adult actors singing, I thought, “Wow, I’m here, I’m doing this.

This is happening!”

Finalmente, después de seis semanas de ensayos, llegó la noche de estreno: el 24 de septiembre de 2021.

A lot of people asked me if I was nervous before the show.

And I actually wasn’t very nervous.

It helped that when I went out on stage, the lights were so bright that I couldn’t see anyone in the audience, except for a few people in the front row.

So, I didn’t worry about making mistakes.

¡El estreno de Natalia transcurrió sin ningún problema! Después tuvo que repetirlo unas cincuenta veces más, en Minneapolis, Salt Lake City y Chicago.

No todas las actuaciones fueron tan perfectas como la noche del estreno.

We had a robot for a character called Olaf, and it was controlled by someone off stage.

In one scene, I had to do some snow magic, and then Olaf was supposed to move.

But one day, he moved so much that his head fell off! We picked up his head really fast, and luckily, I don’t think anyone in the audience noticed!

Toda la producción se mudaba a una nueva ciudad después de unas pocas semanas.

Natalia tenía que empacar todas sus cosas en una habitación de hotel y desempacarlas en otro lugar diferente.

Y además de eso, Natalia todavía tenía que hacer todas las tareas regulares de quinto grado de la escuela.

I had a teacher, and every day from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm, I did work for school.

After that, I ate dinner and got ready for the next show.

It was a lot of work, and I missed real school and my friends.

I also missed my family a lot.

It was very hard to be away from them for so long.

Mientras tanto, los compañeros de elenco de Natalia se convirtieron en una especie de familia.

Después de su última actuación, todo el elenco le cantó una canción del espectáculo.

Y la actriz que interpretó a Elsa de adulta le regaló una hermosa tiara y la coronó como la Reina de las Nieves.

I was in the middle of this big circle of actors, and I was crying because I was so happy.

Then we had a little party where we ate pizza and cake, and we danced and had a lot of fun.

It was very special, and it was such an honor to be in a Broadway show.

After that, nothing will ever be the same for me.

Natalia Artigas participó recientemente en el musical On Your Feet, donde interpretó a la joven Gloria Estefan.

Aunque le encanta actuar, cuando crezca quiere ser astrofísica.

Nuestro primer narrador, Josh Lamon, vive en la ciudad de Nueva York con sus dos gatos, Sweeney y Toby, que llevan el nombre de los personajes del musical de Broadway, Sweeney Todd.

Este episodio fue producido por Maya Kroth, una periodista basada en Atlanta, Georgia.