Living in Peru : your everyday companion

By Rodney Dodig

When you enter the theater the stage is bare except for three boxes and the entire set is painted a jet black. On this night the performance is sold out and there is an excited murmur in the air before the play begins. The house lights go down immersing the audience in total darkness; a hush falls over the crowd. The stage lights come up and you see a group of students sitting around their lessons getting ready to study for and an exam on the history of theater through time. Thus begins the play El Teatro del Gran Mundo.

From this moment till the end of the play you are taken on a hilarious romp through time from the beginning of theater to the present. This is the second comedic play that I have seen directed by Carmen Santur and this fine young group of comedic actors. The first was “Tu O Yo” and in this reviewer’s opinion “The Beginning” is even better. Scenes were taken from the great plays throughout recorded history and given a comic twist that had the audience giggling and laughing during the entire performance. Scenes from Romeo and Juliet, Oedipus Rex, Cabaret, Noah and the Arc, the Italian Opera Rigoletto and the modern day Peruvian play Respira plus many many more gave the actors a chance to stretch their talents to the maximum. The fact that the actors had to include dancing and singing in their performances only increased my admiration for them. My favorite moment in the performance was a reenactment of Joel Grey’s rendition of “Willkommen” from the musical Cabaret. I almost fell out of my seat I was laughing so hard. The stage setting and perfect props provided the actors with all they needed without detracting from their excellent performances.

Once again,Tischa Aquirre as Ficha Amarilla, Mariana Gonzales as Ficha Azul, Daniela Baertl as Ficha Roja, Sergio Garcia-Blásquez López and Julio Diaz as the invisible and omnipresent Narrador Interactivo did a superb job of bringing this comedy to the audience. The talent and enthusiasm of these young actors has been evident in their performances in both of the plays I have seen in which they have performed.

Carmen Santur has once again demonstrated her skills as a Director in presenting this comedy. The sets, blocking of movement, comedic timing, costumes and direction of the players speak well of her talents in putting together a great show.

I enjoyed this production immensely. Even with my very limited grasp of Spanish I was able to follow what was going on and laugh along with the rest of the audience. For those familiar with the history of theater this will truly be an enjoyable experience. For those who are not this play is a great way to become familiar with that history and get some good laughs at the same time. El Teatro del Gran Mundo will be performed at the Teatro Mocha Graña in Barranco through the end of August.

Add to del.icio.us | |