Last Saturday night was presented a wonderful play, Andrews as part of a series of plays named Le Bal — El Bar de Todos Los Tiempos. All the plays in that series were presented in Galpón del Pasaje Molas in Barrio San Roque. The first play of that series, presented on Fridays 22 and 29, was inspired by the life of Charlie Chaplin. The second play, presented on Saturdays 22 and 30, was inspired by the life of Dame Julie Andrews, with some touch of Ernest Hemingway. The third and ultimate play, presented on the 24th and December 1st, were inspired by the life of Marlon Brando. There were two representations per night of each, at 7 PM and 9:30 PM, being full all the time.
On Andrews, the eras overlapped, having every style from the 1920s to the 1980s, the best years of cabaret, musical, and, at the same time, Dame Julie Andrews. You could see comedians wearing clothes from the end of the 1920s to the 1980s, while some had the first cellphone prototype. Interspersed by short musical parts in French, Spanish, Italian, and English, the play perfectly mixed the eras without getting lost. You did not need to see the three plays to understand everything, but it did help to know what the other two were about. The play’s themes were feminism and the role of women in 20th-century society, showbiz, alcoholism and abuse, and modernism. In an interview a couple of days before the performance, one of the actors stated how real and crude the plays would be. She was not wrong; they showed the reality of that time, in a perfect manner, without making it too negative.
Photo: @maxdni
All the plays presented over the weekend were interactive, and the room, an old warehouse, was designed to make it even more realistic. The comedians used 100% of the space, and quite often were seating in the crowd while continuing their part. Occasionally, people in the audience were pointed out as if they were part of it, even if they were not. Those sitting in the first row also received a bit of liquid on them. Near the end, some people in the public were taken to dance in the middle of the room, now being part of the play. The servers in the play were also the real servers, being actors and bystanders at the same time. For those who have never seen that kind of show before, it is an incredible experience, and you should definitely go to one in the future. I was there at one of the representation with friends and it was a wonderful! Fun guaranteed!
This wonderful series of Le Bal plays was made possible by Terceros TIA, and itaú was the official sponsor. It was directed by Raquel Martínez and assisted by Caro Castillo. The troop of 34 comedians started rehearsing for this play around August. Look on Instagram as the theatrical scene is very vibrant in Asunción and Paraguay, having plays almost every week. The next important one is The Nutcracker.
Photo: @maxdni
