Florencia in the Amazons
By Daniel Catán
Approximate Running Time: Two hours, ten minutes, with 1 intermission
In Spanish with English captions
What's Going On?
The opera star Florencia Grimaldi boards the steamboat El Dorado
to travel down the Amazon to the jungle city of Manaus, where she will sing
her first performance in her native South America in twenty years.
Traveling incognita, Florencia wants to discover the fate of her former
lover Cristóbal, a butterfly hunter. Cristóbal disappeared into the
jungle, seeking a butterfly called the Emerald Muse, after Florencia left
South America to pursue her career in Europe.
Also on board the El
Dorado are Rosalba, a journalist who is writing Florencia's biography,
Arcadio, the nephew of the ship’s captain, and Paula and Álvaro, a bickering
husband and wife who hope that Florencia’s concert will rekindle the
passion of their marriage. No one is aware that the famous diva is one
of the passengers on this voyage. El Dorado’s crew includes the
Captain and Rìolobo, a magical person
who can assume various forms.
During the voyage, the
Captain tells Florencia that Cristóbal has been missing for years and is
presumed dead.
A storm of pink rain causes the steamship to run aground.
Álvaro falls overboard, but survives.
Paula, appalled by his accident, declares her love for him.
Álvaro and Paula are reunited. El Dorado resumes its journey.
Rosalba discovers Florencia’s identity and finds a lover in Arcadio.
When El Dorado finally
reaches its destination, the passengers and crew find that Manaus is overrun
by a cholera epidemic and no one may disembark. Florencia realizes that
Cristóbal’s spirit is everywhere around her.
Like the Emerald Muse butterfly, she is born anew.