C a l i f o r n i a S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y-N o r t h r i d g e Los Angeles has i t s own Celestina a t l a s t. The B i l i n g u a l Foundation of t h e A r t s h a s engaged Alvaro Custodio t o d i r e c t h i s own a d a p t a t i o n of La Celestina both i n Spanish and E n g l i s h f o r i t s I n n e r C i t y C u l t u r a l C e n t e r. The English and Spanish v e r s i o n s a r e performed on a l t e r n a t e n i g h t s , with some a c t o r s doubling r o l e s i n t h e

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... languages. Custodio has b o l d l y taken t h e twenty-one a c t v e r s i o n of R o j a s ' work and h a s wrought w i t h c o n s i d e r a b l e s k i l l l a t e x t i n t h r e e a c t s. I n s p i t e of t h e s u b s t a n t i a l e x c i s i o n s , C u s t o d i o ' s s e n s i t i v i t y and l i t e r a r y awareness has enabled him t o c a p t u r e t h e t h e m a t i c r i c h n e s s of La Celestina w h i l e a t t h e same t i m e p r o j e c t i n g on s t a g e a u n i f i e d p o e t i c whole. T h i s i s n o t a f i r s t f o r Custodio, who h a s s u c c e s s f u l l y s t a g e d h i s v e r s i o n i n Mexico i n 1953 and 1968, and published i t s t e x t i n 1966 (s e e Celestinesca I [ ~ a y o 19771, 13-17). H i s a d a p t a t i o n h a s won p r a i s e from no l e s s a n a u t h o r i t y t h a n Maria Rosa Lida d e M a l k i e l i n La originalidad a r t i s t i c a de La Celestina (passim, s e e Index). The q u a l i t y of t h e a d a p t a t i o n n o t w i t h s t a n d i n g , t h e p r o d u c t i o n d o e s o f f e r some problems. The s o b e r a r c h i t e c t u r a l s e t i s designed t o s u g g e s t s e p a r a t e e n t r a n c e s t o C a l i s t o ' s and Melibea's h o u s e s , w h i l e C e l e s t i n a ' s i s f i t t i n g l y placed in-between. The t r a n s i t i o n s from one s c e n e t o a n o t h e r , however, o f t e n seem a b r u p t and confusing. The t h e a t r e ' s p h y s i c a l s t r u c t u r e and s t a g e dimension probably do n o t a l l o w f o r a more i m a g i n a t i v e s t a g i n g and movement. A l l t h e a c t i o n i s , i n f a c t , c o n f i n e d t o one l e v e l. T h i s becomes p a r t i c u l a r l y damaging, I b e l i e v e , when C a l i s t o r u s h e s from t h e s c e n e of h i s love-making t o come t o t h e a i d of h i s w a t c h f u l s e r v a n t s and f a l l s from t h e l a d d e r t o h i s d e a t h. S i n c e t h e s t a g i n g o f f e r s no s u g g e s t i o n of p h y s i c a l danger, C a l i s t o merely r u n s o f f s t a g e , w i t h d i s t a n t v o i c e s announcing h i s d e a t h. With l a d d e r o r w a l l m i s s i n g , t h e viewer i s l e f t w i t h o u t a s e n s e of d r a m a t i c immediacy, and t h e r e f o r e untouched by t h e t r a g e d y. On t h e o t h e r hand, t h e t h e a t r e does o f f e r a s u i t a b l e and be-l i e v a b l e tower, and Custodio u s e s i t s k i l l f u l l y. The d i s t r a u g h t Melibea a p p e a r s a t a high window t o one s i d e of t h e t h e a t e r t o d i s c l o s e h e r a c t i o n s t o P l e b e r i o b e f o r e l e a p i n g t o h e r d e a t h. I n t h i s a d a p t a t i o n t h e r o l e of Alisa i s e l i m i n a t e d a l t o g e t h e r and P l e b e r i o is l e f t t h e r e f o r e t o mourn a l o n e t h e f u t i l i t y , i n j u s t i c e and tragedy of l i f e. \