Life is A Dream – Barbican

Life without consequences. Life as theatre. The great stage of the world. Life as a dream, and dreams as dreams. Welcome to the undying and unrelentlessly current world of Calderon de la Barca.

In the huge stage of the Barbican, the companies Cheek by Jowl, LAZONA and Compañía Nacional de Teatro Clásico join forces to bring this oneiric classic to life, with a staging irreverent and bold, but thoughtfully provoking and challenging. Directed by Declan Donellan, and Design by Nick Ornerod, the stage is very simple yet effective in its metaphor: the audience is received by a wall of doors that will open and close during the performance, to let characters in, but also to hide and show the farce that is about to be shown.

The known story of Segismundo, played by Alfredo Noval born ill-fated and in a night full of bad omens, who is imprisoned in a tower by his father, the king Basilio, played by Ernesto Arias, is here interpreted in its ingenuity and its connections with war and the deceptions of power and the powerful. Rosaura, played by Rebeca Matellán, is looking to regain her honor, but in the end she seems to be just a whimsical heartbroken lover, although Matellán deals with the anachronic character of the text very gracefully. Completing the cast of characters are David Luque as Clotaldo, Goizalde Núñez as Clarín, Manuel Moya as Astolfo, Irene Serrano as Estrella, and Prince Ezeanyim and Antonio Prieto as Courtiers.

The direction of the acting seems to be uneven, and the choices made by each actor to deal with the long speeches that flood this piece are apparent, as can be seen in the difference between the more naturalistic, rooted interpretation of Arias, and the more rhythmical, almost caricaturized portrayal of Moya’s Astolfo, who at some point ends up in the floor barking and carrying Serrano’s Estrella in his back like a dog. These are the two extremes examples, although the varied interpretation on how to face the text makes the performance rich and diverse.

The perspective adopted by Noval to play his Segismundo is, on the other hand, as unique as interesting. He is supremely funny in his beast-like and ingenuous behavior. He pukes the words, almost without knowing what he is saying. He behaves like a child before Astolfo, like teenager before Estrella and Rosaura. He is awkward when trying to conquer her. Bruce, rude, abrupt. When he throws a man out the window, he is even likeable and laughable in his innocence. Even when he decides that he must act well for even in dreams is good to act well, he does it and justifies his actions in a child-like manner. The whole existence of Segismundo in this play is endearing and makes the audience feel fragile and vulnerable with him.

These staging offers some few more things on top of its cornerstone of great acting by great actors: an interesting concept on what a theatre piece needs to be, and how dreams connect to theatre and life, expressed in the music, and the lights between the acts of the play. This can be seen particularly clear in what seems to be a sitcom scene between Astolfo, Estrella and Rosaura. The physicality of the scene and the extreme “theatricality” (purposedly irreverent) of the situation are played masterfully by Moya, Serrano and Matellán.

That being said, the extreme respect and care taken towards the text makes the play feel very traditional in spite of all its apparent transgressions to this classic. The final scene with Segismundo speaking in front of the court might give goosebumps to many, in all its powerful and poetic imagery.

Life is a Dream is one of those plays everyone should see at least once in their lifetime. This production is a great opportunity to enjoy such a wonderful piece.

Reviewer: Gonzalo Sentana

Reviewed: 13th April 2023

North West End UK Rating: ★★★★