The Sound of What?
May 30, 2009The hills are alive…
With… The Rebel Nun?? What?
La Novicia Rebelde has been showing here at the Teatro Insurgentes for a little while, and every time I walk by, I have to wonder what Julie Andrews would think of such blatant re-branding.
A friend pointed out that the play’s name en español kind of gives away the story. Pretty much the first act, I’d agree. And it almost turns “How do you solve a problem like Maria?” into the flagship song, rather than “The Sound of Music” itself. Hmph.
But it is one of my favorite re-namings I’ve seen so far, gets points for creativity. It’s interesting to see which names stay the same in Mexico, which get a straightforward translation or just a slight tweak, and which names undergo a complete makeover.
Just a few examples:
“James and the Giant Peach” saw its hero renamed: “Jim y el Durazno Gigante.”
“90210″ looks the same, but is pronounced “Noventa Doscientos Diez,” or sometimes nicknamed “Beverly.”
“Twilight” was straightforward: “Crepúsculo.”
“Law and Order” too: “La Ley y el Orden.”
“Slumdog Millionaire” got a verb: “Quisiera ser Millonario” (I’d like to be a millionaire).
“W.” became the rather more editorial “Hijo de … Bush.”
Then a lot of shows and movies just keep their original English names but get a slightly new accent. Such as one that we’re still waiting for here in Mexico… Star Trek, otherwise pronounced as Estar Trek.
