SOLILOQUIO – REVIEW OF TIZIANO CRUZ PRESENTATION AT THEATRE PASSE MURAILLE

Reviewed by James Karas

Soliloquio is a cris de cœur about the condition and treatment of indigenous people in Argentina. It is written, directed and performed in Spanish by Tiziano Cruz. Before heading out for the theatre I received an email advising that “the audience will initially meet just before 7 p.m.  at Randy Padmore Park. The audience and performer will make their way to the theatre together in procession as part of the experience of the show.”

About a hundred people gathered around the empty wading pool of the park and there was a wonderful performance prior to marching to the theater a couple of blocks away. More than a dozen performers formed a circle around the pool and sang, danced, waved flags and Cruz read out an essay about the fate of indigenous Argentinians. The Palestinian flag was displayed prominently and a couple of other banners that I did not recognize.

The music and the chanting were a lament for the downtrodden Argentinians but the event became a protest as we marched towards the theatre chanting slogans and dancing in the street.

We all filed into the theatre where a film was projected on a large screen showing Argentine natives in colorful costumes in the streets. There were some subtitles at the bottom of the screen but they were invisible to most of the audience.

Cruz, wearing skimpy white underwear came on stage and recited his story and condemnation of the treatment of his people by the colonizing Spaniards and now by the Argentinians. The tone of his voice was clear in delivering the message but there were serious problems in following what he said. He spoke in Spanish and there were surtitles above a large screen. Initially they were difficult to read but when the lights changed, they became more visible. But that did not help much and it was very difficult to read the surtitles at the speed that he spoke.

At times Cruz got down on the floor and I was unable to see him at all even though I had excellent seats. With people sitting in front of us it makes little difference if we can’t see the actors’ shoes but, in this case, I could not see much of Cruz even if tried looking right and left beyond the audience in front of me.

There were helpful projected titles on the large screen that made Cruz’s message clear:

WHAT PLACE DOES THE ART OF THE BODY HAVE IN A COUNTRY WHERE MY BODY DISAPPEARS IN THE FACE OF THE LONGING FOR A WHITE SOCIETY?

and

            THERE IS A MARKET FOR VIOLENCE

Cruz aims a serious indictment of Argentina about its treatment of natives and a condemnation of a capitalist system that abuses them to the nth degree. Bringing in the Palestinian flag may be a questionable choice and Cruz, clad in white underwear with threads and cords around his neck may not be the best choice of attire without much explanation.

Much more work is needed to be done to make the entire show comprehension to non- Spanish speakers. There  must have been a lot of Spanish speakers in the audience who gave the show a standing ovation. But there were also many non-Spanish who could not get the full effect.

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Soliloquio by Tiziano Cruz was performed on May 17 and 18, 2024 at Theatre Passe Muraille, 16 Ryerson Avenue, Toronto, Ontario. www.passemuraille.on.ca