Abstract
Among the many recent adaptations of Lope de Vega’s Fuenteovejuna that feature a modern sociopolitical reading of the play, Eugenia Cano Puga’s Laurencia stands out for the way in which it manages to distil the essence of Lope’s collective protagonist and transfer it to a single female leading character. By staging the basic story of Lope’s Early Modern drama to the Ciudad Juárez of the femicides, the article argues, Cano gives new relevance to Lope’s drama of a people who stand united against an unjust political system. Additionally, Laurencia masterfully reflects the complicity of local and global forces in failing to address the magnitude of violence against women. This article examines the dramatic and performative processes deployed by the playwright/director as she maintains the moral relevance of Fuenteovejuna while contemporizing its characters and its plot and highlighting the global responsibility for addressing the pervasive victimization of women.
