Caligula the Musical

Caligula the Musical (Calígula, el musical) is a tragic Argentinian musical inspired by the life of the titular Roman emperor from the Julio-Claudian dynasty. It was written by Pepe Cibrián with original music by Martín Bianchedi.

Productions
It premiered in 1983 in Buenos Aires, during the 1976-1983 dictatorship, and made a comparison between the cruelty of Caligula and Argentinian state terrorism, which ended with thirty thousand disappeared. It had a small cast of nine people. The musical was not targeted by the government due to the belief that it was just a musical. However, Cibrián and the cast did create a second, more tame version of the show, which they performed when government officials came to supervise or observe rehearsals.

In 2002 it returned for a run in Buenos Aires, in the Teatro del Globo, with a new musical adaptation by Ángel Mahler and a small cast of fourteen people and a live orchestra. It was directed by Cibrián and choreographed by Rubén Cuello. The message of the show was adapted to the December 2001 Argentinazo crisis. It received a positive review from La Nacion.

In 2005, the Premier de Buenos-Aires theater put on a version with a cast of twenty people plus a live orchestra. In September of that year it traveled to Santa Fe to perform. In 2013 it was performed at the Konex de Buenos Aires with a cast of 17 people.

Cast recording
Caligula the Musical released a cassette in 1983, and a CD in 2002, through La Isla studios. The disc contained the principle voices of Damián Iglesias and Giselle Dufour.

The 1983 recording contained the following songs:


 * 1. Obertura
 * 2. Toma el poder
 * 3. Tema de Calígula
 * 4. Pobre pueblo
 * 5. Cesonia
 * 6. Casamiento
 * 7. Goza
 * 8. Que viva
 * 9. Pobre César
 * 10. Venus imperial
 * 11. Debo darle un final
 * 12. Se acerca la luz
 * 13. Final (Tema de Calígula)

The 2002 CD contained the following songs:


 * 1. Esto tú tendrás
 * 2. Existo y existiré
 * 3. Llegada de Drusila
 * 4. Corre
 * 5. Un nuevo césar
 * 6. Pobre pueblo
 * 7. Libertad
 * 8. Yo soy Dios
 * 9. Si yo pudiese
 * 10. Cesonia
 * 11. Ser madre
 * 12. Senadores
 * 13. Baile Mnester
 * 14. Goza
 * 15. Toma mi vida
 * 16. Vivo
 * 17. Corran ya
 * 18. Como darte
 * 19. Pobre César
 * 20. Confesión
 * 21. Venus imperial
 * 22. Violación querea
 * 23. Toma el poder
 * 24. Debo
 * 25. Muerte Mnester
 * 26. Muerte Drusila
 * 27. Muerte Calígula
 * 28. Final