"We all have three lives: the public, the private, and the secret."

BarcelonaThe Italian filmmaker Paolo Genovese (Rome, 1966) had an idea a few years ago that went viral: he imagined a group of friends who, during a dinner party, decide to put all their cell phones on the table and read aloud the messages that arrive throughout the meal. Genovese's film, titled Perfect Strangers, It premiered in 2017 in Catalonia And since then it has had 25 adaptations worldwide and has become one of the most successful films ever made. remakes of history. A decade later, director David Selvas has taken that story and brought it to the stage of the Poliorama Theatre with a company comprised of Eduard Farelo, Marta Bayarri, Vanesa Segura, Cristian Valencia, Julia Molins, Albert Prat, and Biel Duran. The show, which shares its title with the film, runs from March 13 to April 26.

"The story is a ticking time bomb, a game we can all play knowing that family, friendship, and romantic relationships can explode," says Selvas, who adds that "the text blends mobile phones with the idea that we all have three lives: the public, the private, and the secret." The audience's identification with the characters is, in fact, one of the key elements of the show, which is clearly a comedy but also has moments of tragedy. "The characters suffer, but the audience has a great time. We haven't just scratched the surface," emphasizes Farelo, who plays one of the hosts of the dinner party: "A man who has built a successful career and family life, but who has emotional difficulties that will be evident to everyone."

The production doesn't keep the film's text intact; instead, playwright Llàtzer Garcia has created a version to bring it closer to the reality of our country. "We've given more depth to the female characters and tried to remove the conservative undertones of the original text. For example, we've moved away from the classic idea that only men have things to hide," Garcia explains. Likewise, viewers familiar with the film will find some changes regarding each character's secrets, so as not to limit them all to romantic and sexual relationships. They've also worked to update the play's technological references, refining small details such as the inclusion of Instagram and WhatsApp groups.

Seven characters in crisis

The protagonists of Perfect Strangers There are three heterosexual couples and a seventh friend who shows up alone, claiming his new girlfriend has a fever. They are all, in one way or another, going through a crisis, but they keep it all bottled up inside. Marta Bayarri's character, for example, is at a point "where life is slipping through her fingers and she's not facing it, until she decides to play with fire," the actress explains. Also at the dinner are a young couple about to become parents (played by Julia Molins and Cristian Valencia) and two lawyers who live with the mother-in-law and have big secrets. Biel Duran's character is the one who immediately raises a question about the girlfriend's absence. "He knows that introducing her to the friends is a trial by fire. He wants to protect her and himself," the actor says.

The show plays with all the tools of comedy from the very first minute, but Selvas emphasizes that the script also offers a critical look at contemporary society. "It dissects the need to hide behind lies and petty self-deceptions that undermine relationships and ourselves," the director reflects. "We have a very powerful tool in our pocket that should help us be more connected, but it ends up being more of the same."