Review of MRL
"This is the best moment for me, this moment right before the magic begins.” -Salvador Braedt
It was, indeed, the beginning of the magic. The audience tittered, the stage blacked out, and it was time. Time to savour the Memories of the Rose and the Lion, the play that some had worked hard for, but all of us had been anticipating with curiosity. The entire IE community was there, approximately a turnout of 260 people, including the rectors of our degrees, staff, friends and family.
Salomon, played by Adam Wilson Barnes, lost and without his memory, stumbles around the streets in a hospital gown until he’s taken in (maybe we can say ‘rescued’ to make it more dramatic) by Lola (Alessia Ricchiuti), a kind nurse hired to kill him. With the help of Lola and her friends, Salomon will embark on a journey of self-discovery, in which he will learn the truths of his world, what he thought to be his best friend and colleagues, and, most importantly, of himself.
Certainly, the story captivated the public from the very first moment after the ‘rise of the curtain’. The cold room of the hospital, Salomon in a coma, and a Lola trying to find her strength to asphyxiate an innocent man. Yet, not this time, as the Doctor comes in. There, everybody in the audience was already hooked. Who is he? What happened? Why is she trying to kill him? All we had were questions and more questions, and the answers were to come.
As the play continued at a fast pace, Solomon and Lola conquered everyone’s hearts. By the end, undoubtedly, we were rooting for their love. ‘This is like a telenovela!’ someone screamed in the back. It indeed felt like one, having the ups and downs of every respectable drama. Maybe too much of a telenovela? Depends on each one’s taste. However, the love story felt somehow too abrupt, maybe because of the short span of 3 days in which the story was developed, or maybe because more scenes to build up the relationship were missing.
In all, the story developed quite smoothly, the audience related to the characters. In special, that of Joey, played by Ghali Laraqui, the joyful hotdog (and something else) seller. Even in a small role, he engaged the audience and softened the intensity of the atmosphere of the play, leaving us with an undeniable smile. Such laughter and engagement was then used to pepper the play with social commentary. Although at some points too abrupt to follow, especially after the intermission; it made you laugh, and it also made you think and criticise some aspects of Solomon’s world that happen to be not that different from those of our own world.
The setting of the play was the majestic Aula Magna, impressive in itself, but a difficult space to work with for a theatre production. Especially for a first time production team. Working with minimal resources –no real backstage, just a few fixed lights and a mere screen– the team still worked hard to give us an amazing experience. The props and the set were put in place and removed swiftly, by a crew that was very well prepared. The lights and sounds added to the atmosphere that the directors wanted to create, creating an experience out of the set for the audience to enjoy.
The story came to an end after the Machiavellian smile of Richard (Egor Kas), rolled by the subtle murmur of the mourning choir, and everybody’s hearts shrunken by the bittersweet taste that the play had –intentionally– left us with. A tragic story of injustice that tainted all the love and laughter felt during the first act, that ended how it could not have any other way.
Finally, applause and cheers. Tears of joy. Honorable mentions to all the cast and crew, to everybody who had helped make this project possible and come to life. To all those who had sacrificed their time and efforts just ‘for the love of it’, and to anyone who had contributed even the slightest little bit. That moment, certainly, felt special. It was special. The IE community had joined efforts to create something beautiful and extraordinary, without any discrimination to degrees, years, anything. Just the IE community as a whole, as it is: a group of very different people from diverse backgrounds coming together to grow. A moment worth having lived.
Yet, undoubtedly, this excellent outcome wouldn’t have been possible without the guidance of two crucial people in the group: Salvador Braedt and Timothé Rigaudeau. Timothé had created the club out of nothing, just following a dream and a passion. Salvador agreed after many requests to take part, and with his help, and his outstanding acting and professional skills, both personages built up one of the bravest projects the IE community has seen so far. There is nothing left to say: bravo, and now the bar is set terribly high for the next generations of the theatre club.
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