En la mesura de l'impossible (In the Measure of the Impossible), the new proposal by La Perla 29 at the Biblioteca de Catalunya, we find exactly this: blood, moral dilemma, and the open wound of those who choose to live on the brink of disaster.
We find ourselves in the Impossible, any place in the world where there is a war. It seems impossible that it exists, but it does, no matter how much we want to look away and look elsewhere. The impossible is there, within reach, and humanitarian workers know it firsthand. These people live between the impossible and the possible (our world); and not everyone can bear this duality of life. Because, how can you go for beers and party when, last week, you had to decide which child died or lived in a hospital? Impossible. Just like that.
Based on real interviews with workers from the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders, the text tells us a series of war anecdotes and humanitarian crises explained without anesthesia. The dramatized interview format gives a very current and fresh touch to the proposal, as if it were a live documentary.
The cast, Joan Amargós, Màrcia Cisteró, Andrew Tarbet, and Elena Tarrats, does an exceptional job. They move with brutal naturalness, traversing pain, surprise, and indignation with an intensity that breaks the fourth wall. Listening to them is like sitting in front of someone who has just returned from hell and just needs to empty themselves to heal.
It is an exercise in brutal honesty that reminds us what makes us human.
A beautiful, poetic, but very raw text
Tiago Rodrigues signs a beautiful text. Just as we find the metaphor of the impossible versus the possible, throughout the text we find stories full of strength and visual poetry. But being poetic does not mean it is embellished; on the contrary.
Thanks to his mastery of poetic prose and the power of words, Rodrigues tells us the pain of war in a visceral, yet very human way. He does not focus on blood and guts, but rather opts for a story where people are the protagonists. People who love, who suffer, who have dreams and hope. Because hope is the last thing to be lost (and, if not, ask the mother who has been waiting 40 years for her disappeared son).
The weight of the narration
Despite the power of the content, the show has a somewhat flat structure. The play is presented as an accumulation of monologues that are interspersed for almost two hours. And this is where the rhythm falters. Despite the visual support and live music by Mar Orfila, which try to oxygenate the format, the density of the text ends up taking its toll.
Instead of opting for a more dynamic theatricalization (for example, with direct dialogues between the characters or more dramatic action), Genebat maintains a constant narrative line that can become heavy. Too much narration and little acting. The result is an accumulation of stories that, due to the repetition of format, end up losing their initial impact and make the viewer feel the weight of the clock.
Even so, En la mesura de l'impossible is an exercise in brutal honesty that reminds us what makes us human. If you want to leave the theater with a shaken heart and questions that hurt, go.