# La llamada (musical)

La llamada is a Spanish musical written and directed by Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo. It is a comedy, with themes of friendship, love, and the challenges of adolescence. The song selection includes original pieces composed by Alberto Jiménez (a singer for Miss Caffeina), alongside songs by Whitney Houston, Presuntos Implicados, Henry Méndez, and religious songs, among others. It is accompanied by a small band of four musicians.
A film adaptation was released in 2017.

## Productions

The musical premiered in the lobby of Madrid's Teatro Lara on 2 May, 2013, playing eight sold-out shows. After its early success, the show performed on the main stage of the theatre starting on 18 October, 2013.
It began its Spanish tour in 2014. Cities visited included Palencia, Valladolid, Valencia o Soria. In total, more than 30 Spanish cities hosted the show. On April 15, 2015, the show celebrated its second anniversary with a special performance.
In 2015, INK Teatro and Claudio Sodi bought the rights to bring the musical to Mexico, where it premiered on 28 August at the Teatro López Tarso. However, the Mexican adaptation had a poor reception and closed after a few weeks.
There have also been plans for productions in Argentina, Peru, Uruguay, and Chile. The show was also performed in Moscow.

## Plot

In August 2013, in Segovia, Spain, María and Susana are two seventeen-year olds who are passionate about reggaeton and electro latino; together, they form a band named Suma Latina. Both girls are attending La Brújula, a Christian summer camp they have attended since childhood. The camp is run by two nuns: Bernarda, a modern good-hearted woman who tries to promote faith through music, and Milagros, a young, innocent, and doubtful novice who admires Presuntos Implicados. During the night, María has apparitions of God, who sings Whitney Houston songs to her. The apparition begins to change the lives of the two girls, as they question their lives and their plans for the future.

## Cast
### María Casado

* Year
* Macarena García
* Claudia Traisac
* Clara Alvarado
* Susana Abaitua
* Nuria Herrero
* Anna Castillo
* Nerea Rodríguez
* Andrea Guasch
* Angy Fernández
* Lydia Fairén
* Cast member
* Special collaboration / Specific replacement
* Current cast member

### Susana Romero

* Año
* Andrea Ros
* Anna Castillo
* Angy Fernández
* Lucía Gil
* Susana Abaitua
* Nuria Herrero
* Marta Sango
* Cast member
* Special collaboration / Specific replacement
* Current cast member

### Milagros

* Year
* Belén Cuesta
* Olalla Hernández
* Érika Bleda
* Roko
* Javier Calvo
* Estrella Xtravaganza
* Cast member
* Special collaboration / Specific replacement
* Current cast member

### Bernarda de los Arcos

* Year
* Llum Barrera
* Gracia Olayo
* Soledad Mallol
* Brays Efe
* Alicia Orozco
* Mar Abascal
* Neus Sanz
* Yolanda Ramos
* Marta Valverde
* Loreto Valverde
* Cast member
* Special collaboration / Specific replacement
* Current cast member

### Dios

* Año
* Richard Collins-Moore
* David Comrie
* Raoul Vázquez
* Paco Arrojo
* Ruth Lorenzo
* Famous Oberogo
* Gerónimo Rauch
* Supremme de Luxe
* Cast member
* Special collaboration / Specific replacement
* Current cast member

### Mexican cast

| Characters | María Casado | Susana Romero | Bernarda de los Arcos | Milagros | Dios |
| Original cast | Natasha Dupeyrón | Tessa Ia | Laura Zapata | Alexis de Anda | Federico DiLorenzo |
| Tour | | Ximena Romo | | | Manuel Gorka |

## Musical numbers

* "I will always love you"
* "Si esto es fe"
* "Viviremos firmes en la fe"
* "Estoy alegre:
* "I have nothing"
* "Todas las flores" (Spain) / "Eres mi religión" (Mexico) / "A veces me parece" (Chile) / "Extraño ser" (Argentina)
* "Lo hacemos y ya vemos"
* "Step by step"
The song "Todas las flores", from the band Presuntos Implicados, is replaced in the Mexican production with the song "Eres mi religión" from the band Maná. In the Chilean production it is replaced with "A veces me parece" from the Chilean trio Ariztía. In the Argentinian production the song performed is "Extraño ser", from the rock band Suéter.

## Recordings

In 2014, a short recording was released with four songs sung by the Spanish cast. In 2019, a recording on the current Spanish cast was released.

## Reception

La llamada was received positively by theatre critics, who particularly noted the actors' performances and the show's script. Marcos Ordóñez, of El País, said that "the story is simple and captivating", noting the "natural dialogue", and calling particular attention to Macarena García, whose performance he called "sensational". Saúl Fernández, of La Nueva España, wrote that "the two writers created a produgious musical which transforms [Houston's] songs into a collection of mythic verses".
According to a survey by El País, La llamada was the best theatrical production of 2013. Metrópoli magazine included the show among its ten best theatre productions in Madrid.

## Awards

| Year | Awards | Category | Candidate | Result |
| 2013 | Broadway World Spain | Best Original Musical | Best Original Musical | Nominated |
| 2013 | Broadway World Spain | Best Musical Small Format | Best Musical Small Format | Won |
| 2013 | Broadway World Spain | Best Artistic Director | Javier Ambrossi Javier Calvo | Won |
| 2013 | Broadway World Spain | Best Leading Actress | Macarena García | Won |
| 2013 | Broadway World Spain | Best Supporting Actress | Belén Cuesta | Won |
| 2013 | Broadway World Spain | Best Supporting Actor | Richard Collins-Moore | Nominated |
| 2013 | Broadway World Spain | Best Choreography | Ana del Rey Noemí Cabrera | Won |
| 2013 | Broadway World Spain | Best Set Design | Ana Garay | Won |
| 2013 | Broadway World Spain | Best Costumes | Ana López Cobos | Won |
| 2013 | Broadway World Spain | Best Lighting Design | Carlos Alzueta | Won |
| 2013 | Broadway World Spain | Mejor diseño original del cartel | Pelayo Rocal Valero Rioja | Won |
| 2013 | Fotogramas de Plata | Best Theatre Actress | Macarena García | Won |
| 2014 | Broadway World Spain | Best Touring Musical | Best Touring Musical | Nominated |
| 2014 | Broadway World Spain | Best Supporting Actress | Gracia Olayo | Won |
| 2014 | Premios de la Unión de Actores | Best Supporting Actress in Theatre | Belén Cuesta | Nominated |
| 2014 | Premios de la Unión de Actores | Best Supporting Actor in Theatre | Richard Collins-Moore | Nominated |
| 2014 | Premios Teatro Musical | Best Musical | Best Musical | Nominated |
| 2014 | Premios Teatro Musical | Best Director | Javier Ambrossi Javier Calvo | Nominated |
| 2014 | Premios Teatro Musical | Best Supporting Actress | Belén Cuesta | Won |
| 2014 | Premios Teatro Musical | Best New Actress | Macarena García | Nominated |
| 2014 | Premios Teatro Musical | Best Choreography | Ana del Rey Noemí Cabrera | Nominated |
| 2015 | Broadway World Spain | Best Leading Actress | Claudia Traisac | Nominated |
| 2015 | Broadway World Spain | Best Supporting Actress | Angy Fernández | Won |
| 2015 | Premio Libertad TEATRO | Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo | Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo | Won |
| 2015 | Premios de la Unión de Actores | Best Supporting Actress in Theatre | Gracia Olayo | Nominated |
| 2020 | Broadway World Spain | Best Leading Actress | Marta Sango | Nominated |

## Film adaptation

On 4 November, 2015, Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo announced the musical would be adapted into a film. The film was produced by Enrique López Lavigne, José Corbacho, and Kike Maíllo, through Apache Films and Sábado Películas. It stars Macarena García, Anna Castillo, Gracia Olayo, Belén Cuesta, and Richard Collins-Moore, and also includes appearances by Secun de la Rosa, Víctor Elías, and Esty Quesada.