“The Mother” is a play by the fashionable and today most performed French playwright outside France, Florian Zeller. Remember that he won the Oscar for best adapted screenplay for his own work, “The Father”, adapted for cinema, a film which was his first feature film as a director. He also won the Molière Prize with this same theatrical title in 2014.
Barco Pirata Producciones brings us to the Rojas Theater “The Mother”, a work that is both labyrinthine and close, since we are almost all members of a family of which the mother is one of the fundamental pillars. The play, with the generic and specific title of “The Mother”, explores the complexity of family relationships; In this particular case, the dynamic that is generated between a mother and her children. “The Mother” (2010) is part of a trilogy by the author on family relationships, with “The Father” (2012) and “The Son” (2019); In this work he creates one of the most acclaimed characters of recent times, one of those that every good theater professional always wants to go on stage because he has everything to succeed, if he is able to embody him correctly .
The structure of the work is built like the pieces of a puzzle. Ana’s mental chaos is projected into the fragmentary structure of the drama. (I think if we do a global analysis and keep in mind the ending, reality and daydreams we can talk about drama and not just realistic theater that tells about situations that happen in today’s family today). The work is presented as a desperate cry of a woman because of the loneliness and sadness in which she is plunged due to the abandonment of the family home by her children and the indifference of her husband. The plot focuses on a woman, primarily a mother (with a different degree of emotional closeness to each of her two children), who feels increasingly isolated and distressed by the lack of attention from her family and the lack of emotional connection. Ana, who has devoted much of her life to her family, especially her son Nicolás, faces a deep crisis of identity and loneliness when her son leaves home. As the play progresses, his inner struggles, fears, and desire to be valued and understood are revealed. However, there are symptoms that indicate the mind is not as organized as one would expect in a middle-aged adult. Ana takes medication, is jealous of her daughter-in-law, wants to monopolize her son, feels that her husband is cheating on her and sinks into a sadness that fills her with anxiety. Too many ingredients in the theatrical shaker. The narrative, which is not linear and is presented through fragments of Ana’s thoughts and memories, sometimes dreamlike situations, creates an atmosphere of confusion and disorientation and plays with the perception of reality, leading the audience wondering what is real and what is a product. of the mother’s spirit. Through intense dialogues and moments of vulnerability, Zeller offers a deep reflection on love, possession, emptiness, loneliness and the search for meaning in family relationships, the fight against the feeling of abandonment and lack of purpose, when the mother (and in general all mothers) internalizes the reality of the empty nest, while trying to find her place in a world that has radically changed, even if the bond remains, more formal than loving, with her husband. The work invites the audience to empathize with the protagonist and reflect on the impact of communication and emotional connections on family life. However, many possible readings can be made; Without a doubt, each spectator perceives better what is linked to the a priori of his experience; This is why it is easy for everyone to identify with certain facets of the characters because many of them are present at any given moment in our lives. This is possible because the author exposes different realities with different perspectives, but does not judge.
The careful staging of Juan Carlos Fisher and the exceptional interpretation of Aitana Sánchez-Gijón guarantee that these burning themes, such as absence, forgetting or solitude, reach the viewer with the force of a clear and a solid argument for the reflection that follows the film. performance from the theater headquarters.
The dramaturgy designed by the Peruvian director Juan Carlos Fisher with these changes of shot in scenes which seem repetitive, but which represent very different symbols, situations or atmospheres, is of an extraordinary conceptual modernity, so that, even if it is complex, it does not confuse and offers the possibility for each spectator to draw their own conclusions. It is important to highlight the important dramaturgical role of the music composed by Joan Miquel Pérez with this sustained disturbing nuance which is perceived with a certain halo of threat.
Alessio Meloni’s scenography is sober, aesthetic, symbolic, spectacular and surprising. Very important for the development of the plot. The large wall at the back approaches the distraught Ana, pins her down and suffocates her. Pedro Yagüe’s dazzling lighting adds a sublime beauty to what is happening on stage.
Aitana Sánchez-Gijón’s performance must be praised for her variety of registers to express emotions, while demonstrating an exceptional dialogue capacity of perfect diction, masterfully handling her character’s moments of tension and vulnerability, Ana. His sensitivity to establishing family relationships is evident in. the way it depicts the complexity of maternal and marital bonds, highlighting the ability to show suffering in a moving and authentic way. Additionally, her communicative empathy with the audience is remarkable, managing to connect deeply with viewers and convey the despair and loneliness Ana feels after abandoning her son. I have attended quite a few performances by this actress and I consider this performance to be one of the best of her career. Juan Carlos Vellido credibly plays the role of Ana’s husband at this crucial moment, after twenty-five years of marriage, when he no longer understands or cares for her; Her interpretation is linear, without fuss, which means that the character of Ana, with her ups and downs, her sinuous actions, her silent or exalted emotions, takes on much more importance. Álex Villazón constructs a character (Nicolás, Ana’s most beloved son) with a weak character and torn between the love of two women: that of his girlfriend and that of his absorbing mother; he intervenes with solvency and conveys the doubtful and tormented character of the character. Júlia Roch plays several characters, just like the other two actors, and resolves them with ease, self-confidence and a certain grace.
In short, a brilliant theatrical show that dazzled the Toledo audience who filled the Rojas Theater and applauded with effusion and emotion the excellent work produced by Barco Pirata.
Qualification: The mother. Author: Florian Zeller. Address: Juan Carlos Fisher. Interpreters: Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Juan Carlos Vellido, Alex Villazan, Julia Roch. Musical composition: Joan Miquel Pérez. Scenography: Alessio Meloni. Changing room : Elda Noriega. Lightning: Pedro YaguAnd. Production: Pirate shiphas And Rokambolescas Productions. Landscape: Rojas Theater.
