La Chunga by Mario Vargas Llosa

Directed by Andy McQuade

Produced by Second Skin Theatre

Staged Ryan's Bar, Stoke Newington Church Street

Performed on 20/09/2011

 

This piece by Second Skin Theatre is an electrifying but also thought-provoking play with some deep meditations on relationships between men and women.  Set in a bar in Mexico run by La Chunga (Victoria Grove), the scene is set with a night of whoring, drinking and gambling.  When the sleazy Josefino (Patrick Doherty) loses a huge bet he pimps away his pretty girlfriend Meche (Nika Khitrova) to the lesbian La Chunga to regain the money he so desperately needs...

 

The impressive set, slight but evocative, matches the decor of the auditorium locking the audience right into the play before the action even starts.  The scenes between Khitrova and Grove are tingling with tenderness and eroticism.  Victoria Grove, in particular, is an impressive La Chunga - her deep, husky voice conveying real depths of power, passion and vulnerability.  The men come off really well, with Marco Aponte a real standout, capturing the guilt and self-loathing of his character really well.

 

This is the first big production for Second Skin Theatre and it will be a hard act follow.  It runs to October 2nd, so catch it while you can.