Teatro del Pueblo and
Pangea World Theater are combining their resources and talents for their new production of
Homo Dramaticus, a series of three short plays by Argentinian playwright Alberto Adellach. Written in response to the
Dirty War in Argentina (disclaimer: pretty much everything I know about Argentinian politics is from the musical
Evita), these plays are a bleak look at the war and violence in his world, and in ours. They're written in the absurdist style, which means they're not so much narrative stories as a series of characters, scenes, images, feelings. It's beautifully acted and directed, and gorgeously designed. And while I didn't always understand what was happening, this production succeeds in evoking feeling of grief, horror, and dismay at the violence that seems to be intertwined with all of human history.
This short run concludes on Sunday, with just three more performances at the Southern Theater.
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| Marcha (March), photo courtesy of Pangea |
The program gives a short but helpful summary of each of the three plays, which are all under 30 minutes. In the first,
Marcha (March), directed by Teatre del Pueblo's Artistic Director Alberto Justiniano, three women (Paulina Aparicio, Wasima Farah, and Sarah Furniss), or many women, march in protest. They are continually shot, only to get up and continue marching. I couldn't help but think of the anthem "Keep Marching" from the
Broadway musical Suffs, and the relevance it has in this time. This piece really speaks to the importance of continuing to stand up for what you believe in, and the continuance of the movement despite what may happen to individuals.
The second piece is called Palabras (Words), directed by Pangea's Artistic Directors Meena Natarajan and Dipankar Mukherjee. A priest played by Ernest Briggs is preaching the Sermon on the Mount (the one that goes "blessed are the ___, for they ___") to a group of people (played by everyone else in the ensemble), who are not having it. The priest is insistent and continues the sermon no matter what, while the people taunt and tease him. He eventually has a revelation of his own, in what is a pretty convincing argument against trying to impose one's religious beliefs on others.
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| Criaturas (Children), photo courtesy of Pangea |
The final piece,
Criaturas (Children), directed by Sir Curtis Kirby III, is the most fun. It begins with two little boys (played by Nate Kay and José Sabillón) engaging in spirited and imaginative play. They play at being cowboys and Indians, fighter pilots, soldiers, while having childlike conversations. But what starts out cute and funny and silly takes a dark turn when you begin to realize that in this world, even playtime includes war and violence. And then play gives way to reality, and you understand why.
Everyone in the six-person cast is so good, really committed and believable in their roles. Acting almost as a seventh ensemble member, musician Vladimir Garrido plays multiple instruments (often at the same time), the guitars, flutes, and percussive instruments almost in conversation with the cast. The traditional South American music and instrumentation lends an authenticity to the story, adding warmth and color, and filling the space between the plays.
These plays unfold under the historic arch at the Southern Theater, a gorgeous backdrop. Scattered around the cavernous space are crates, boxes, discarded remnants of civilization, as if in a war zone or dystopian landscape. Characters are dressed in dingy and worn clothing that adds to the bleakness of this world. The lighting and sound design aid in the storytelling and the mood of each piece. (Set design by M Curtis Grittner, costume design by Abigail Vaughan, lighting design by Jordan Z. Hall, and sound design by Diego Vasquez Rios.)
Homo Dramaticus is another great co-production between two theater companies, in which the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. You can support both of these companies in this beautiful, important, relevant work.
