‘The Soul in the Air’ had almost everything in its favor to become one of the season’s great musicals. The songs of Alejandro Sanz, a producer accustomed to filling Madrid’s Gran Vía theaters, an international creative team, and a grand-scale staging. Yet the show, which opened on October 1 at the Teatro Ocaso Coliseum in Madrid, also reveals a problem that neither nostalgia nor money can fix: having great songs does not automatically make a great musical.
Initial reviews and opinions paint a picture more nuanced than the promotional hype. While favorable assessments abound, several reviews converge in questioning the plot, the integration of certain songs, and the uneven pacing of the show. The result is a production that can impress with its technical resources, but whose story does not always live up to the music it aims to support.
The issue takes on special relevance because this is not just any premiere. Stage Entertainment, responsible for hits such as The Lion King and Aladdin, has devoted four years to developing its first major original musical production in Spain. A substantial gamble that deserves to be judged with the same rigor it commands.
A Predictable Premise that Wastes Alejandro Sanz’s Music Potential
One of the main criticisms about the show concerns the story. The action unfolds in a fictional fishing village in Cádiz, where the arrival of a Madrid-based real estate developer and her daughters disrupts the villagers’ peace. From there, romance between young people from different worlds, family conflicts, unfulfilled dreams, and the defense of roots against urban speculation emerge.
The problem isn’t that the story is simple, but that its development is overly recognizable. The conflicts follow overused narrative formulas, and many situations seem designed to lead to the next song rather than to deepen the characters.
Much of the critique identifies a fundamental weakness: the show does not fully exploit all the dramatic possibilities of the songs.
Thus, they note that the story rarely ventures into unexpected territory, even while acknowledging its visual appeal.
The conclusion drawn from these objections is uncomfortable for a production of such ambition: ‘The Soul in the Air’ seems to opt for not unsettling anyone, even at the cost of foregoing a truly memorable story.
Forced-fitting Songs: the Musical’s Biggest Problem
The difficulty of constructing a musical from songs that already existed was evident from the start. Alejandro Sanz’s lyrics were not written for these characters or the conflicts they embody. It was necessary to craft a narrative capable of giving them a new dramatic function.
And it is precisely here that some of the more concrete criticisms arise.
There are problems in certain scenes, dialogues, and musical transitions.
The appearance of Aprendiz after a revelation about two characters feels too abrupt. Meanwhile, Mi Persona Favorita is used in a karaoke scene that adds little to the narrative development. It also questions a medley in the second part due to an excessive accumulation of songs.
These observations point to a major contradiction. The musical constantly needs to prove that its songs fit the story when it should be the story itself that makes them inevitable.
There are moments when that mechanism works. In others, it feels like watching a sequence of musical hits interrupted by scenes tasked with guiding the audience to the next chorus.
And when a song seems more necessary to satisfy a fan of Alejandro Sanz than to move the plot forward, the show risks turning into a greatest-hits collection with expensive scenery.
A Weak First Half That Forces the Show to Rally
Another weakness that appears across several analyses is the imbalance between the two acts. The production ends up delivering more punch in its second half, while the opening relies on conventional situations and takes time to unfold its more interesting moments.
They say the musical is “very predictable,” considering its first part weak and expecting a great deal more from the whole.
Beyond specific technical issues, the underlying diagnosis is significant. A two-and-a-half-hour production should not need a good portion of its journey to start showing its full potential. And that is even more true when it arrives amid high expectations.
A Spectacular Scenography That Exposes the Libretto
Paradoxically, one of The Soul in the Air’s great successes ends up making its shortcomings clearer.
The storm scene, starring Inma ‘La Carbonera’ as the personification of the Levante wind, has become the most lauded moment in many reviews. The flamenco, the dance, the lighting, and the real rain on stage achieve an intensity that much of the rest of the show does not reach.
The contrast raises an inevitable question: if the production is capable of delivering such a powerful sequence, why not take more risks with the rest of the performance?
It is precisely when it strays from conventional narrative patterns that the musical seems to discover a truly distinctive identity. The wind’s personification, the magical component, and the power of flamenco open up possibilities far more suggestive than the predictable romance that underpins much of the plot.
However, those possibilities do not fully dominate the proposition.
The Underlying Problem: Nostalgia Cannot Substitute a Good Story
It would be unfair to deny the artistic merits of The Soul in the Air. Reviews consistently highlight the vocal quality of the cast, the live orchestra, the musical arrangements, and the visual spectacle. Some spectators also leave the Coliseum delighted.
But a good musical performance should not be used to excuse a libretto that does not fully exploit its potential. That is the main weakness that emerges from the stricter critiques.
For a devoted fan of Alejandro Sanz, hearing Corazón Partío, Amiga Mía, Cuando Nadie Me Ve, or The Soul in the Air performed by a capable cast can justify the ticket. The problem arises when the show is asked to do more than evoke the emotional pull of the songs.
The musical has the resources, the repertoire, and the performers necessary to aspire to much more. What it does not always seem to have is the narrative courage to rise to the level of those possibilities.
Stage Entertainment has presented The Soul in the Air as a major bid for original musical creation in Spain. A commendable initiative that deserves recognition, but one that also demands raising the bar. It is not enough to assemble a technically ambitious production or to gather songs that millions know by heart.
The real challenge was to ensure the audience also remembers the story when the music has finished playing. And that is where the show encounters its greatest difficulties.
The Soul in the Air may move those who attend to reconnect with Alejandro Sanz. But, from a more demanding theatrical perspective, it leaves a hard-to-ignore impression: a production that has almost everything it needs to be extraordinary and that, too often, settles for being simply pleasant.
Huge spectacle, great songs, and a story that deserved much more ambition. That is the most serious reproach that can be leveled at a musical aiming to become one of the great titles on Madrid’s Gran Vía.
