Dreams of the Magician. Farewell to Amado

The outstanding critic and theater specialist Amado del Pino passed away a few days ago. Last January 22, Cuban Theater Day and the bitter taste of a tragical and curious irony was left in the mouth. It seemed that fate wanted to bid him farewell in a sort of tribute. Amid the sadness I am seized with the certainty that Amado could not die on a different day.

His profession and life revolved around the stage. From theater he became a magician builder of dreams who injected force with his analytic power through essays. Journalism, performing and drama enjoyed his skilled mind. He displayed the same enthusiasm in every action aimed at discovering the mysteries of theater.

He died in Spain, where he carried out his work as a writer, displaying the mixture we are grateful for with a keen eye and refined style. He was able to analyze the theater to reveal those values or voids untrained eyes were unable to see.

A disease cut his life short, leaving images and phrases like that in the film Clandestinos which is widely remembered playing the role of a clandestine fighter whose appetite defined the character. Thus, he is remembered by many Cubans.

That was Amado del Pino: a combination of sympathy and intelligence welcomed by the public, the readers and the colleagues. He was 56 years old when he died.

Tablas, an important magazine on the performing arts in Cuba, is among the spaces he worked for, he also wrote articles for Juventud Rebelde and Granma newspapers. His career includes publications like El zapato sucio and Penumbra en el noveno cuarto.

The light of his work will remain and the love for theater gives reasons to discover a universe of motivations towards writing.