Pedro the Schemer

The carefully crafted episodic plot of Pedro de Urdemalas, first published in 1615, makes the play--arguably, at least--the most archetypical of Miguel de Cervantes's full-length works for the theater. Before Lope de Vega's formula for the "new art of writing plays" (el arte nuevo) became the model for dramatic composition in Spain, Cervantes created a singular vision, ultimately far less successful than that of the younger playwright. Nonetheless, the plays by the author of Don Quixote have a style and a dynamism of their own. A dominant theme of Pedro de Urdemalas is identity, presented in a dual plotline in which Pedro de Urdemalas and the gypsy/noblewoman Belica/Isabel exemplify two approaches to the concept of roleplaying. Cervantes captures the motif of "the world as stage" and the related idea of metatheater, dramatic self-consciousness--in impressive and unique ways. The character of Pedro de Urdemalas is defined by his adaptability--by his protean nature--and this makes for good theater. The gypsy Belica's insistence that she is of noble blood provides a fascinating contrast to Pedro's worldview. Belica (who becomes Isabel) is nothing if not "dramatic." In one way or another, Cervantes treats questions of class, justice, psychology, points of contact between illusion and reality, and, especially significantly, language. Pedro the Schemer: A Work in Progress, an adaptation of Pedro de Urdemalas, maintains these elements in order to underscore the junctures of art and life, the examination of identity, the episodic (but unified) structure, the exploration of language, and the irony and humor of the original. It would be hard not to appreciate the fact that, in the end, Pedro has become an actor and Isabel has been recognized as a noblewoman, and that their paths have interconnected.