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Malayerba

a review by Emily Zhukov

On a bare stage a man and a woman stand with two suitcases. They are exiles. They meet, discover they are both from the same town, Nuestra Señora de las Nubes. Their encounter opens the floodgates of memory. With minimal props, pulled from their suitcases, the actors recreate and reinvent their past, portraying the village idiot and his grandmother, the absurd governor and his empty-headed wife, the tyrannical father and his rebellious daughter. Each anecdote probes the murky past surrounding their exile. Each dialogue reveals the desperate search for links to that past and the self identity that comes from having a sense of place. Finally, confusion and amnesia rob the exiles of even a clear memory of who they are and where they come from.

Nuestra Señora de las Nubes was written and directed by Argentinian Aristides Vargas who performed the play with the outstanding Spanish actress Charo Francés. Both highly acclaimed artists are founders of the Quito based theater company Malayerba, considered one of the most important groups in Iberoamerican theater today. Their two night engagement at the Teatro Nacional was made possible by the Alterarte Cultural Association, the Latin American and Caribbean Cultural Promoters Network, INAC and the Ecuadorean Embassy.

Malayerba is fortunate to have its own theater house in Quito, where it hosts national and international artists and operates a theater laboratory to train young actors. Since its conception in 1979, Malayerba has always included actors and actresses of different nationalities. In a world of growing ethnic tribalism, it is Malayerba´s firm conviction that the mix of cultures creates its own strong unique identity. At the end of each night´s performance, Francés makes an appeal to the audience: help the exile within our midst; if you meet an Ecuadorean, or any foreigner, show him or her kindness.