Mauricio Kartun
| Author and director: | Mauricio Kartun |
| Starring: | Claudio Da Passano (Abel), Claudio Martinez Bel (Caín)andRafael Bruza (Tatita) |
| Set and Costume:: | Gabriela Aurora Fernández |
| Lighting: | Leandra Rodríguez |
| Sound design: | Eliana Liuni |
| Assistant director: | Alan Darling |
“One of those texts that will be studied forever and that will be a gem and a classic of domestic theatre”.La Nación
With a career stretching across four decade behind him, Mauricio Kartun (San Martín, 1946) is considered one of the great masters of Argentine drama and one of the principal figures in Latin American theatre. Since his debut in 1973 with Civilización… ¿o barbarie?, this author and director has carved out a career marked by his commitment to portraying the contemporary political circumstances of his country with a style of writing that has its roots in classical mythology. Both of these qualities are reflected in Terrenal, a new take on the biblical myth of Cain and Abel. In Kartun's hands it is transformed into a conflict about more than brotherly hate and with a certain criollo twist. In his script, Cain is a successful producer and Abel a happy, free worker. Both tell a typically Argentine tale as they await the appearance of their grandfather, a scornful figure who is transformed over the course of the play.
The consequences of embracing savage capitalism or eco-socialism as organisational models of civilised life erupt in an ending that will freeze the hearts of spectators. A climax that is even more shocking for the comic, almost slapstick or variety-show tone with which the director leads his characters. With elements that remind us of both the characters in Waiting for Godot and the comic duo Laurel and Hardy.
Since its première at the Teatro del Pueblo de Buenos Aires, Terrenal has become a phenomenon of the vibrant independent theatre scene in Buenos Aires. Over 65,000 spectators have seen the show for which Kartun has won important awards such as the Critic's Prize at the Buenos Aires Book Fair for his script and Best Play award from the ACE (Asociación de Cronistas del Espectáculo). Both critics and the audiences alike have applauded this tragicomedy which has toured extensively throughout Latin America.
Starring veterans of the stage Claudio Da Passano, Claudio Martínez Bel and Rafael Bruza, prestigious newspaper La Nación hailed the virtuous creativity of the cast in its review. "With their bodies, the three manage to transcend the script with notable clarity. In their way of speaking, in their slightest gesture, there is always a nod and wink to the audience. And this nod and wink becomes a wake-up call that will certainly resonate when we think as inhabitants of a desolate Argentina”.