El Perro del Hortelano

Spanish Golden Age comedy comes to Aventura with Lope de Vega’s witty exploration of love, jealousy and social rank. El Perro del Hortelano runs October 9-11 at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, presented by the City of Aventura, FUNDarte and Miami-Dade County Auditorium. The production is performed in Spanish with English supertitles.

The play, known in English as The Dog in the Manger, follows Countess Diana of Belflor, an independent noblewoman who rejects her aristocratic suitors until she learns that her secretary, Teodoro, loves Marcela, one of her ladies-in-waiting. Caught between pride, desire and class expectation, Diana sets a sharp game of manipulation in motion.

Written by one of Spain’s defining playwrights, El Perro del Hortelano uses verbal sparring, romantic misdirection and social satire to examine how power can shape desire. Performances take place Friday, October 9 and Saturday, October 10 at 8 p.m., with a Sunday matinee on October 11 at 2 p.m.