Needless to say, many people have done some very foolish things when out drinking with our friends. Certainly any woman who has attended a Bachelorette Party and has had too much to drink knows that decisions are made that lead to life-altering moments. Such is the case during “Barcelona,” Bess Wohl award-wining play, its West Coast Premiere now at the Geffen Playhouse through Sunday, March 13 directed by Trip Cullman and starring Betty Gilpin as Irene and Carlos Leal as Manuel.
As the set designed by Mark Wendland transforms from what appears to be a run-of-the- mill artist’s loft into a wall of louvered windows with a breathtaking view of Gaudi’s magical city, two inebriants enter with sex on their minds – soon revealed to be a drunk American woman about to plunge recklessly into a one-night stand with a dashing Spaniard. But during the course of that single, shocking night – by turns funny and dangerous – her romantic fantasy morphs into a complicated game of cat and mouse. Gilpin and Leal command the stage for 90 minutes, letting us get to know more about themselves with every passing minute, romping through their physical attraction into distrust and mutual destruction based on misunderstandings, and finally to real moments of mutual salvation.
The theme of rebirth runs rampant throughout the play, not only with the characters but also the setting. The story is contained in what we learn is the condemned and soon-to-demolished apartment building where Miguel’s daughter lived. He is there is pack up her belongings and return to his home in Madrid in an attempt to move on with his life following her untimely passing. The building is located with a magnificent view of the Sagrada Familia, a Barcelona landmark designed by Antoni Gaudi, arguably one of the most famous places of worship in the world. Construction and renovation continues to this day with scaffolding covering many of the finest details on the building and its famous spires. Its continuing rebirth outside reflects the human spiritual rebirth occurring within its walls.
Such is the case for Irene and Manuel, each needing to find a way to move forward with their lives rather than choose to self-destruct. Irene is an annoying motor mouth, constantly making observations and sharing them with poor Manuel who just wanted access to her body and perhaps some assistance in packing the place up before its demolition in the morning. The fact that he admits how much he hates Americans takes Irene to a new mission to prove not all of us bad. But somehow with each lesson she offers, Manuel refuses to budge until her vulnerability feeds his ego, which allows him to share his deepest secrets with her. Their back-and-forth power struggle is a marvel to behold, especially for Gilpin whose long monologues dominate most of the show, each one more perfectly delivered than the last to allow us to see her inner struggles with her life and upcoming marriage.
So while each of them reached out to the other for superficial reasons, in the end they manage to turn each other’s lives around merely by telling the truth – something most strangers would never think to do. Their gradual mutual revelations and discoveries will pull you in and keep you hoping that no matter what, they will somehow rescue each other. You won’t be disappointed as dawn breaks.
“Barcelona” tickets are priced from $32 to $82 and available in-person at the Geffen Playhouse box office, via phone at 310-0208-5454 or online at www.geffenplayhouse.com. Performances take place on Tuesday-Friday at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. through March 13 in the Gil Cates Theater at the Geffen Playhouse, located at 10886 Le Conte Ave., Los Angeles.
