'The Ferryman': great theatre, great performance, with an excellent level of acting

The ferryman by Jez Butterworth, the author of JerusalemIt is a truly exceptional work and theatrical production for several reasons, including its length (three and a quarter hours, plus two intermissions), the number of performers (nineteen), the awards it has won (including the Laurence Olivier), and the record-breaking ticket sales in the history of London's Royal Court Theatre. In Barcelona, ​​its appeal lies in the excellent casting of the Lliure production, the outstanding performances of an intergenerational cast, a staging that captures the best of Julio Manrique, and the prominence of an absent character. But above all, it stems from the resonance it evokes in any community, like ours.

In this case, it is the Carney family, representing the feelings of Catholic families in Northern Ireland during the 1980s and 90s in their confrontation with Margaret Thatcher's United Kingdom. The play unfolds over the course of a single day in the house where up to three generations live together and where preparations are underway for the harvest festival. We encounter the rage and powerlessness of the pro-independence Aunt Pat Carney (Imma Colomer), the defense of tradition by Uncle Patrick Carney (Carles Martínez), the peace glimpsed by the father and patriarch Quinn Carney (Roger Casamajor), the collective memory of the village and the unexplained heartbreak of Grandmother Mag and Caitlin's (Mima Riera) beloved, the emotional tension of Mother Mary (Marta Marco), the emotional outbursts of Oisin (Martí Ribot), the duplicity of Father Horrigan (Santi Ricart), and the menacing violence of Muldoon (Ernest Villegas). Because The ferryman (Referring to Charon) speaks to us of a people's identity, of love, but above all of the violence that only accentuates the tragedy.

A great night at the theater, although in some scenes the very dim lighting obscures the actors' faces.