Imanol Arias: "We must remember that love is neither unique nor eternal."

BarcelonaIt so happened that during the process of creating the show Better not to say it —about a couple in their second marriage who decide to tell each other everything—the lead actor, Imanol Arias (Riaño, 1956), has recently remarried. "Like the couple in the play, this recent marriage is a union where we try to spend a lot of time together, talk, and above all, take care of each other," explains Arias. On stage, he shares passion, dialogue, and arguments with actress María Barranco, who plays the other half of the story. Written by the French playwright Salomé Lelouch, the production is an adaptation by Pablo Kompel, directed by Claudio Tolcachir. This comedy premiered in Madrid in October and has since played in Buenos Aires (where it drew over 100,000 spectators) and Montevideo. From this Wednesday until April 12, it will be performed at the Teatro Goya, where tickets are practically sold out.

"It's a smart and hilarious comedy made up of sketches. It manages to show two people with an absolute need to talk in order to be happy and love each other," says Arias. The actor describes his character as "a man more conservative than her, although he considers himself progressive because of his desire to understand," and who "loves his wife because she never shuts up, because she's a ticking time bomb." One of the couple's defining characteristics is the baggage they carry from previous relationships, which, in a way, conditions them. "We must remember that love isn't unique or eternal," says the actor. The comedy begins with the premise that they should constantly tell each other what they're thinking. "How do you carry out everyday activities without stopping talking? How do you do tai chi while having a serious conversation?" Arias asks.

Aside from this premise, the driving force of the play is a lie that Arias's character has been hiding for three decades. "It's a pain that isn't his to bear, but he was complicit in a mistake. As the show progresses, the audience understands why he has certain attitudes," says the actor. In this regard, María Barranco affirms that "the audience will strongly identify with both characters" and adds that, personally, with this show she has learned "that sometimes biting your tongue isn't a bad thing." The actress also highlights the deep love between the two characters: "Whatever happens, they love each other very much. She teaches him that he must speak up, that he shouldn't stay silent. It's a mutual lesson," says Barranco.

A very relevant play

According to the actors, the comedy is even more powerful because it's inspired by a true story: that of the playwright's mother, the actress Évelyne Bouix. "She's a very refined woman who, after separating from filmmaker Claude Lelouch, had a whirlwind romance with the actor Pierre Arbiti. He's a chatty, hard-drinking, conservative man, a sort of Gérard Depardieu. This gave her the idea to write this play," explains Arias, who argues that the show is very current and quite unusual. There's this need for immediate dopamine. Even supposedly serious discussions have been affected.