How Not To Behave in Barcelona
“It’s like I don’t deserve to be happy or something?”
Irene
In a chaotic flat full of packing cases, comes a tall good looking man and a very drunk girl. She is Irene (Lily Collins) and she is American and has been celebrating a hen or, as the Americans will have it, a bachelorette party in a Spanish bar. He is Manuel (Àlvaro Morte) considerably older than her, sexy and sober.
There was an article this week about a woman pretending to be drunk on a beach in Magaluf in order to film, for a documentary, men about to sexually assault her on a hidden camera. Irene appears to be completely unaware of the danger she has put herself in. She has thrown one of her shoes at Manuel, whom she insists on calling Manolo, to get his attention and she is hobbling on one silver high heel.
There are so many contrived reveals in this show that it is almost impossible to review them without creating spoilers. After falling about on stage for a good ten minutes, Irene throws up in the bathroom and discovers that there is no running water in this flat to rinse her mouth out or wash vomit off her silver cat suit. It appears that the only liquid in the flat is a bottle of a rather fine Rioja which Manuel is reluctant to open.
What is most problematic is how dislikable and ignorant Irene is about Spain and politics, whereas Manuel has very decided and considered views on the Madrid train bombings of 2004, where 200 people were killed and 2,500 were injured. This tragedy took place five years before this play. Manuel attributes American politics for the bombings and despises the Spanish Leaders for trying to blame the Basque political grouping.
Credit must go to Jai Morjaria for his lighting taking us through seven hours in this Spanish flat overlooking Barcelona’s architecturally impressive Sagrada Familia by Gaudi.
Lily Collins has been cast in a very similar role to the one that has brought her fame in Emily in Paris and fans of that series may not be underwhelmed.
It is very disappointing to see this play after Bess Wohl’s Camp Siegfried which was so excellent at the Old Vic with Patsy Ferran and Luke Thallon in 2021. Especially disappointing as the wonderful director Lynette Linton has been tasked with making the best of it.
In his stage debut in the UK, Àlvaro Morte has such an interesting and brooding stage presence. There are even moments when we feel that Irene might be taken advantage of in a deeply sinister way. I do hope that we may see more of him.
Editor of TheatreVibe.co.uk
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Production Notes
Barcelona
Written by Bess Wohl
Directed by Lynette Linton
Cast
Starring:
Lily Collins
Àlvaro Morte
Creatives
Director: Lynette Linton
Designer: Frankie Bradshaw
Lighting Designer: Jai Morjaria
Composer and Sound Designer: Duramaney Kamara, Xana
Movement and Intimacy: Shelley Maxwell
Video/projection designer: Gino Ricardo Green
Fight director: Kate Walters
Information
Running Time: One hours 30 minutes without an interval
Booking to 11th January 2025
Theatre:
Duke of York’s Theatre
104 St Martin’s Lane
London WC2N 4BG
Phone: 03330 096 690
Website: www.barcelonatheplay.com
Tube: Charing Cross
Reviewed by Lizzie Loveridge at the
Duke of York’s
on 30th October 2024