‘Well planted’ approaches intragender violence with black humor
A couple of men trapped in a control and dependency relationship, wrapped in sarcasm and black humor. This is the premise of Well plantedthe new comedy written by Joaquín Arias and directed by Anna Sarrablowhich can be seen in the room Versus Glòries until June 1.
Inspired by the idea that “love needs the same attentions as a plant”, the work uses gardening as a metaphor to explore the dynamics of power and emotional violence within a relationship between two men. Arias explains that he began writing about a clear pattern of abuse, but soon realized that “in homosexual relationships profiles are not always so clear, because intragenre violence is often hidden under the irony of the LGTBI+collective”.
This approach came, in the words of Sarrablo, from a concerned concern between friends: “ We wanted to move on stage talks and experiences on toxic relationships.The Joaquín’s proposal captivated us from the outset: a metaphor as simple as powerful, with fresh, direct, irony language. ”
“It is a two-way game between two men who play to be called and disdained, to make and undo, to need and reject.”
The story revolves around Xavi, a forty -year -old man who, after losing his job as an illustrator, opens a gardening channel on the networks. His partner, Nico, much younger, wants to make his dream come true. When Xavi discovers that Nico has reached the final phase of a hearing that can move him away for months, he does his best to prevent it. “As in this work, also in real life we have exercised – and suffered – abuse: contempt, ghosting, infidelity … or preventing the other from fulfilling his dreams,” says Arias.
Sarrablo emphasizes that what he was interested in as his director was to deepen this emotional complexity: “The roles of power and submission, the emotional fragility, the destructive behaviors that emerge in the face of an unexpected change … Often, in the face of these suburbs, the addictions, the escape forward and the self -deception appear.”
With an acid tone and a stage duel structure, Well planted It shows two narcissistic, egolatre and unable to communicate sincerity, fighting in an emotional pulse that oscillates between desire and destruction. “It is a two-way game between two men who play to say and disdain themselves, to make and undo, to need to and reject. All as if it were a boxing ring,” says Sarrablo. When leaving the theater, maybe the audience will not know how to take care of a plant … but identify when love is rotting.
More information, pictures and entries at:
