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Review: "Te Llevo en la Sangre" strong, from comedy to melodrama
by Lynn Darroch, Special to The Oregonian
Sunday February 01, 2009, 8:24 PM


Russell Young
Jorge Elias Madrid-Enamorado and Nurys Herrera in "Te Llevo en la Sangre," at Milagro Theatre
At first, it was comic, but by Act III, the laughter had died in audience throats. Pratfalls and misunderstandings soon mingled with severed body parts and military air strikes as the black comedy, "Te Llevo en la Sangre," drew the opening night crowd into a fantasy turned all too real.

Perhaps, this Spanish-language production suggests, our emotions, too, are "narrated" by the voice of popular culture, just as "The Announcer" (Vicente Guzman-Orozco) weaves together jingles, news reports, and a soap opera plot with a story about the inner lives of an obsessed fan and the radionovela actors she follows. This unctuous voice of 1950s Argentine radio is the central figure in an energetic and thought-provoking U.S. premiere that does not quite realize its full potential.

Set in Buenos Aires in 1955, with the country on the brink of civil war and President Juan Peron about to be deposed, the prize-winning play -- its title translates as "I've got you under my skin" -- offers layers of meaning behind its melodramatic story line. In fact, you'd almost have to be a native, like the play's author, part-time Portland resident Monica Silver, to plumb them all. But there's plenty to enjoy at every level, and The Announcer (El Locutor) is with us every step of the way.
With smiling face glued to microphone, Guzman-Orozco first simply pitches the sponsor's products (at times humorously juxtaposed to the action) and upcoming episodes of the radio soap whose name gives the play its title. Moving from a seat in the audience to the stage, where he is invisible to the characters, The Announcer increases his reach, providing voice-over for the radio play and, by the end of Act I, describing the feelings of the actors who play the leading man and lady of the radionovela, Linda Ducase (Nurys Herrera) and Dante Roldan (Jorge Elias Madrid-Enamorado). In Act II, he narrates the emotions of Mabel (Nelda Reyes), a crippled seamstress and avid fan who believes she is interacting with one of the soap opera characters.

As the radionovela unfolds, a doctor played by Roldan falls in love with a poor, tubercular shop girl played by Ducase, who he ultimately sends to a distant clinic to be cured. While the actors pursue an off-stage romance -- propelled by Roldan's unrequited obsession -- Mabel pursues in fantasy a parallel affair with Roldan's character, who promises to cure her limp.

All the while, The Announcer incites Mabel's fantasies, her accomplice in dreams punctuated by commercial jingles and news reports of bombings and a gruesome murder that was, she later discovers, perpetrated by her brother. Even when she breaks the invisible barrier and goes to the radio station for a surprising, on-air finale, she remains in a fantasy world.

Such complex, parallel plots, and the blending of fantasy and "reality," radio and stage play, require clever staging in the small theater, and for the most part it works. The English subtitles projected above the stage proved helpful to this non-native speaker on occasion, but to reply on them is to miss most of the action. And there's a lot of it.

So, to go beyond its melodramatic surface, the play must depend on its cast. And though they carry off the balance between reality and fantasy, the specifically Argentine feel of the script and its larger social critique don't emerge. Perhaps the ambience isn't explicit enough in the text, and U.S. audiences can't be expected to know the conditions in Argentina in the '50s that make, for instance, the "war" among and within the actors parallel the civil war outside the studio.

Overall, though, the production, directed by Daniel Jaquez, captured the play's critical use of melodrama to reveal the slim chance for real love in such a world and the sad fate of those ruled by that illusion.

Bigger than life: Te llevo en la sangre

Our current production of the award-winning tragicomedy from Argentina, Te llevo en la sangre, bounces between laughs and gasps as it captures the imagination of audiences. Read below what others have been saying about this Spanish-language production (with supertitles projected in English); then reserve your tickets today — only two weekends left!

“Argentine playwright Mónica Silver’s semi-absurd murder mystery, getting its North American premiere at Miracle Theatre, includes a brutal slaying, a suicide and a pair of betrayals — but that’s nothing compared to what’s going on outside. Set in the midst of the brutal 1955 military coup against Juan Perón, the play follows a company of actors performing a popular radio telenovela and a pair of their listeners. The plot of the radio drama mirrors their own troubles with love and drugs, to both comedic and tragic effect.” — Willamette Week

“The prize-winning play — its title translates as ‘I've got you under m

y skin’ — offers layers of meaning behind its melodramatic story line. In fact, you'd almost have to be a native, like the play's author, part-time Portland resident Mónica Silver, to plumb them all. But there's plenty to enjoy at every level, and The Announcer (El Locutor) is with us every step of the way. … Overall, though, the production, directed by Daniel Jáquez, captured the play's critical use of melodrama to reveal the slim chance for real love in such a world and the sad fate of those ruled by that illusion.” — The Oregonian

“Te llevo en la sangre es una obra muy bien dirigida y muy bien actuada tanto por del director que exprime los talentos de los actores y los actores que se profundizan en sus personajes. Humor, horror, confusión, tragedia y amor son ingredientes de esta interesante obra que aborda los temas que todos llevamos en la sangre.” — Mirada Latina

“After seeing the performance tonight, we have discussed the play widely.  The 

 directing was fine, roles were credible and honed. All clever devices were noted. The totally chilling sound bite of Peron's voice was astonishing in effect. It was a brilliant piece of reality. This is adult theater in the best sense of that phrase. Many appreciations.” — Audience member Jean Anderson

“Had a great time loved the play and the subtitles help for those of us that are still working on our Spanish. Thanks!” — Audience member Jeff Rhoades

“It was fascinating to see a script that nestled its story elements (both comic 

and serious) in a larger political social event. I very much enjoyed that aspect and felt it added much richness to the action of the play. The performances were enjoyable with a wonderful contrast of flavors.” — Audience member and playwright William S. Gregory