He was born in Alicante. He began his career writing librettos for zarzuelas in the late 19th and early 20th century. He worked in partnership with Gonzalo Cantó, Enrique García Álvarez and Carlos Fernández Shaw. But it was the sainete, a comedy and grotesque tragedy (a genre he himself invented and which was a forerunner of the exaggerated style known as 'esperpento' by Valle Inclán), which earned him his privileged reputation in popular theatre. He had a particular flair for dialogue, which imitated –and criticised at the same time– the style of speech in turn-of-the-century Madrid, and he was also a master of the clever joke. The widespread popularity and breadth of his work took place against a backdrop of theatrical revival as society's preferred cultural recreation. He died in April 1946.
Other highlighted works
- El santo de la Isidra
- El puñao de rosas
