He is perhaps the most recognizable face in Argentine cinema, the main character of the last four Argentine films nominated for Oscars and the only Latin American to have won the Goya Award for best leading actor. But Ricardo Darín believes that the future of theater is in the theater, or at least that it will be the space in which it will survive. “It is the most primitive place and, at the same time, of resistance because it is the place where we will never do without actors. In all other areas, they are experimenting with artificial intelligence and they will erase us with the stroke of a pen,” he said this Monday at a press conference to present, with the actress Andrea Pietra, the work Scenes from Married Lifein theaters from September 4 to 29 at the Rialto Theater and from October 2 to 20 at the Coliseum Theater in Barcelona.
The actor of films like Argentina, 1985, The secret of his eyes either wild tales He referred to the current uncertainty that affects the world of theater, dubbing and creativity in general. The main demand of the Hollywood Actors and Writers Union last year was precisely to regulate artificial intelligence. “We are worried, but we hide it; we act as if it does not come to us. These are things that we see coming from afar, and in business terms, what we are looking for is to do without contracts at a certain point. The future is approaching us without us being able to avoid it.
Darín took advantage of the press conference on the play written by Ingmar Bergman, about the future of marriage, to recover the theater not only as a space for rebellion, but also for improvisation and spontaneity. “It’s been seven and a half months since I just did a very intense series. [El eternauta de Netflix] and I was eager to get back on stage. Actors, in general, like stage performances because they are unlike anything else; by not depending so much on technology and the intervention of others, we pose a more personal and artisanal problem. Theatre is dangerous, dizzying.
Theatre from the cradle
Son of two theatre actors, Ricardo Darín and Renée Roxana, Darín made his stage debut with them at the age of 10 and, at 14, he was already taking his first theatre workshop. At 16, he made his mark in the world of television and was quickly catapulted onto the big screen; however, he never left the stage. In the 80s, he participated in comedies The strange couple And Taxi and has even directed plays such as Birds in the Nait in the 90s and more recently, Art. His most recognized and successful work is this play that arrives in Spain for the fifth time. It was released in Argentina in 2013, where it was broadcast continuously for two years.
Scenes from Married Life is a comedy-drama that tells the story of the marriage and subsequent divorce of Juan and Mariana. Through everyday scenes, it represents the complexity of daily coexistence with the same person for many years, through a husband who evolves from docility to despotism and a hysterical and resigned wife to abandonment. “The work has been redefined since Bergman wrote it 50 years ago. Human and marital relationships have changed a lot, but some things never change, such as the difficulty of connection, intolerance, not totally wanting the other to think differently,” commented the man from Buenos Aires.
An Argentinian Bergman
When the Argentine version of the play premiered, more than ten years ago, the actress who played the wife of Darín’s character was Valeria Bertuccelli, who would later be replaced by Érica Rivas. Now it will be the turn of Andrea Pietra, prolific mainly on television, with roles in Partners either They are made of iron. “We both have partners for years and that also fuels the work. When you act, you think about the things that life itself triggers; “It gives you a new perspective on situations,” said Pietra, who greatly highlighted the figure of the director of the work, Norma Aleandro, a veteran of the artistic world of River Plate with a 65-year career behind her. “She is a girl who has never grown up. It’s like hanging on to a kite that takes you all over the theater; She was also an actress in this play, so she knows the characters by heart. It was a pleasure to be directed by her,” said the actress.
Aleandro has removed some of the solemnity, bitterness and tension, as well as the references to Sweden, from the libretto that Bergman wrote in 1981. The legendary filmmaker, delighted in writing about disappointed couples as in A lesson in love either Sarabandoriginally wrote the story for a six-episode television miniseries, released in 1973. The production benefited from the public’s enthusiasm that led to a film version and dozens of other adaptations around the world, including the Argentinian one directed by Fernando Masllorens. . and Federico González del Pino. Porteño to the story they added more verbiage, a more critical tone and acid comedy.
In Argentina, the play has attracted some 800,000 spectators and more than 600 performances. Darín argues about its impact: “There are terms used on stage that suddenly come to you like a glove, whether in an argument or in a reconciliation with your partner. This type of text leaves something in you, especially because there are strong moments that resonate in your daily life. ‘Never get married, think about it many times.’
