Marc Artigau stages 'A Party in Rome' in support of the elderly

BarcelonaIt's not a show about old age, but about the fourth. All the performers in the company make that clear.A party in RomeThe latest play written by Marc Artigau, which premieres on February 12 at the Teatre Lliure in Gràcia. "It's a vindication of this stage of life, from age 75 and up, to show that, despite the decline, they are not children but adults, and that they shouldn't be treated as children," emphasizes one of the actors in the play, Lluís Marco. A party in Rome It will run until March 22nd and is directed by Clara Segura, who is taking on this role for the third time (the first was in 2020 with Coverage and the second was in 2022 with The braidThe text is also published by Comanegra, within the collection Guard LightThe protagonists of the play are Romina (Marta Angelat) and Juli (Lluís Marco)—their names a clear homage to Romeo and Juliet—and the show tells part of their love story, which unfolds in a retirement home. Artigau uses Romina's diagnosed cognitive decline as a starting point to reflect on desire and affection when memory fades. The illness directly affects the protagonist's relationship with her son, Guillem (Oriol Vila), who suddenly "will no longer be cared for because he will have to be the one caring for others," explains the actor. The bond between them will also become a love story, because Guillem will have to learn to love his mother as she ceases to be herself. "He wants to understand her, he gets angry, he apologizes. The show also presents a very interesting generational contrast and is a subtle critique of this generation that is now in its forties and is somewhat fragile," notes Clara Segura. In this sense, Artigau wanted to show with this clash "how at a certain point in life you have to start caring, and that means letting go of the 'I' to move towards the 'we'" and that "problems and traumas are no longer so important." For inspiration, the playwright drew on lived experiences, although the production also incorporates a process of research.

Between comedy and tragedy

Despite the hardship of experiencing cognitive decline firsthand (or closely), A party in Rome It's not a melodrama. Artigau places it "between comedy and tragedy" and quotes a line from Charles Chaplin to illustrate his approach to the story: "Life seen in close-up is drama, and seen in wide shots is comedy. We've tried to make it move through these two spaces, ensuring that the gaze towards the elderly is not at all condescending."

The more comedic aspect expands through the disinhibition Romina experiences as a result of her illness, and also through the characters she meets at the nursing home, played by Xavier Boada, Gemma Martínez, Isabel Rocatti, and Albert Triola. "It's a show written for our times, with a lot of truth. I've been through a similar process, because my mother died a year ago after suffering from Alzheimer's. It has many common themes and therapeutic elements for the audience," Boada emphasizes.

The company adds that A party in Rome It refers to the various journeys its protagonists will experience, but the title also takes on another meaning after seeing the show. Once the performances at the Lliure are over, the play will tour several towns in Catalonia.