(*) Ewa Procter
Loleh Bellon, author of “Uma Relação Tão Delicada”, brings us the story of two women Charlotte and Jeanne, who are also mother and daughter. On stage, they live a relationship of over fifty years. Their lives show us all the feeling that at times joins them together, and eventually also separates them. The play involves love and tenderness, conflict and dissimulation. Besides, memory is not always precise. And many times, this imprecision disturbs the two women, as imprecision also disturbs many of us.
This is not a new play. Many years ago, I had the opportunity of watching it in another production. But the story of mother and daughter, going through decades, moving through time, is something that only good theatre can bring to its audience. The play covers fifty-five years; so the actresses go back and forth, changing ages (at split seconds!), and moving from being a child, or a teenager, to a young woman; or to a middle aged one, or even becoming an old lady. But there is no sequence in these changes. The scenes are separate: the actress can be an old lady in Scene 1, and a child in Scene 2! But do not worry: the plot, although complicated, is fully understandable to the audience.
Director Ary Coslov wisely decided to keep the play during the time of World War II, the way the author wrote. And Coslov also kept the action in France. Although references to World War II are part of the text, there is no way for these references to bring any difficulties in understanding the relationship between mother and daughter: and this relationship is the main theme of the play. United by a strong and tender bond, Charlotte and Jeanne remember many things of their lives together. However, there is some disorder in their memories, as Jeanne is now an adult and emancipated woman, and Charlotte is gradually aging and losing her own autonomy.
Rita Guedes and Letícia Isnard play mother and daughter, and they are both very good in their difficult parts. Even if the cast is a small one, there are excellent people on the technical side, such as Marcelo Aquino as Assistant Director, Marcos Flaksman as the set designer and Aurélio de Simoni responsible for the beautiful lighting, all under the excellent direction of Ary Coslov.
“Uma Relação Tão Delicada” plays at the Teatro Vannucci, located at the Shopping da Gávea, Rua Marquês de São Vicente, 52 – 3rd floor, Gávea. Telephone 2274-7246. Performances take place on Fridays and Saturdays at 09:00 P.M., and on Sundays at 08:00 P.M. Price of tickets is R$ 75,00 (seventy-five Reais), and there is a discount for students and senior citizens. The Shopping da Gávea has its own paid parking space in the same building where the theatre is located. Also, there is plenty of taxis at the door, once the performance is over. This play is not recommended for young people under the age of fourteen. “Uma Relação Tão Delicada” is scheduled to run until the 8th of March. As there is Carnaval in the middle, it would be worthwhile for you to telephone the theatre and ask whether or not there will be performances on the 21st, 22nd and 23rd, that is, during the days when most people are interested in dancing or watching the samba schools. I know that some theatres will be opening and keeping the runs of the plays that are on, but I cannot tell you now which are these theatres. However, if you are not interested in any of the Carnaval festivities and wish to see a very interesting and different play, try to go and watch “Uma Relação Tão Delicada”. You will not regret it!
(*) Ewa Procter is a writer and a theater translator, and Chair of the Instituto Cultural Chiquinha Gonzaga.
