"Tatuaje"

Last night I went to see Tatuaje at the Teatro Alvear.

It was certainly the gayest thing I’ve seen in a long time, and I really mean that in an extremely positive way. Like, male leads sporting turquoise eye-shadow and dangly earrings for the duration of the play, tango-ing with each other, and also dressing up as Marlene Dietrich from time to time. An unmistakably homosexual, thoroughly enjoyable work.

The cast was small; 3 men, 2 women, all extremely talented. The show told the true story of Miguel Molina, a flamboyantly gay Spanish performer who faced persecution under Franco's regime, and his friendship with Eva Perón, who granted him refuge in Argentina.

The costumes were incredible and stood out against a bare black set. Evita’s blonde wig was an avant-garde spectacle on its own, and at one point they dressed her as a mummy as she told the story of her death. My costumière-brain was going nuts.

There was a lot of humor in the play, and much of it went over my head – a lot of wordplay, innuendo, and historical/pop-cultural references. When I did get a joke, I laughed twice as loud, half for the simple joy of understanding.

While this was an entertaining piece, most of the dialogue was narration, which caused me to zone out from time to time. In contrast, Todos Eran Mis Hijos held my attention throughout because of the sense of constant movement and immediate action. At this point, I can understand most of what I hear, but only if I listen – my subconscious doesn’t quite speak Spanish yet.

Friday, I am going to see a show on the independent circuit, El box. The larger commercial theaters are impressive, but I can’t wait to have the independent theater experience – the shows often take place inside people’s homes, something I’ve never experienced before. I’m imagining the at-home performance in Finding Neverland...but I shall see soon enough what it’s really like! Stay tuned...or even better, come here and see some shows.

Besos,

Isa