Hidden Orchestra by Julio Cortázar. Short summary

5 seconds

Lucio Medina went to the movie theater to see a good movie. But the hero was in for a surprise — out of the blue, a female brass band suddenly appeared on the stage.

1 minute

One day Lucio Medina decided to go to the movies. Lucio bought a ticket in the twelfth row of the stalls, bought a newspaper «Kritika» and sat down in his chair. When the lights in the auditorium turned on after the animation, he noticed the strange visitors who had come to see the film with him. Most of them were overweight, well-dressed ladies and men in hats.

After intermission, the unexpected happened. Instead of showing the film, a women’s brass band appeared on stage, with a banner reading «Alpargatas Orchestra» draped over it. The orchestra played a deafening march.

Now Lucio understood that this was a session for Alpargatas employees and their families, something the theater staff had not indicated on the programs in order to sell the remaining seats.

The orchestra was one of the worst the hero had ever heard in his life. Lucio barely survived a few numbers and was unspeakably happy when the lights went out and the movie began. But even during the movie, the hero could not shake off the feeling of strangeness.