No visit to Buenos Aires is complete without taking in one of the many tango shows that perform nightly throughout the city. For our last evening in B.A., we booked tickets to see Esquina Carlos Gardel. The name Carlos Gardel is to tango as the the name Elvis is to Rock and Roll.
Carlos Gardel (1887-1935) is perhaps the most prominent figure in the history of the tango. Where and when he was born has been disputed: some say he was born in Tacuarembó, Uruguay in 1890, but a birth certificate stated that Gardel was born in Toulouse, France in 1887. Although, Gardel, talking about his adopted homeland, often said that he was born in Argentina when he was two-and-a-half years old. He arrived in B.A. in 1893 and made the Abasto neighborhood his home. This fedora wearing porteño, authored hundreds of tales of lost love, punches throw, and women wooed. At the height of his career, Gardel tragically died in 1935 in an airplane crash in Medellín, Colombia while on tour. The rest, they say, is legend.
Outside the Theatre
Statue of Carlos Gardel
Esquina Carlos Gardel is performed in an elegant tango show palace in the Abasto District. The theatre was built of the location of "Chanta Cuatro," a restaurant where Gardel used to dine with his friends across the street from the Abasto Shopping Center. The theatre is an old-time-style dining room on two levels with banquet tables and private booths.
Tango Argentino
Dinner and show tickets run about $90 per person. One of the best things about seeing a tango show is that transportation often comes with the price of your ticket. We were picked up at our hotel by a private car and whisked away to the theatre. After posing with a few tango dancers for photos, we were taken to our private booth for a three course meal, complete with all the wine you can drink.
While having dinner, they show some old film clips on a large screen that explains the history of the tango and highlights some of its biggest stars. The show doesn't begin until most people have finished dinner, which is about 10:00 p.m. The orchestra was positioned above the stage so you could enjoy their talents as well as those of the dancers. The two-hour show begins with the orchestra playing sad tangos, and then it quickly opens up with powerful, emotional renditions of many of Gardel's songs, including his signature ballad, "Mi Buenos Aires Querido." Complimenting the fabulous orchestra is a host of superb singers and dancers, creating a wonderful evening of tango in an authentic environment.
It Takes Two to Tango
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