La Sirena : Drama en quatre actes y un cuadro

A restless coastal town in the early nineteenth century becomes a stage for a lively ensemble of characters whose lives intersect around the harbor and its fledgling steamships. Lo Grabat, a physically imposing yet emotionally conflicted man, grapples with his tender feelings for his daughter and his strained marriage, while the roguish Gatneu drifts from beach to house, charming his hosts with games and music even as he lives off their generosity. The humble sacristan, a former soldier turned philosophical drunkard, and the proud, half‑mulatto Don Luisito add further layers of ambition and resentment, while the young Pitera of the hostel wrestles with love, loss, and the harsh expectations of her family.

Against this human tapestry looms the historic shift from sail to steam, with the first transatlantic steam vessel, the Sirius, setting out just after the 1835 treaty that ends the slave trade. The arrival of new technology and the lingering shadows of the slave‑raiding economy stir unease among captains and crew, promising confrontations that will test loyalties and expose hidden desires. The first act plants the seeds of conflict, inviting listeners to watch how each character navigates a world caught between tradition and change.