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Sunday, May 04, 2008
Seeking Revenge and Closure in 'Death'
By Aurelio Sanchez
Journal Staff Writer
Human fallibility is a fact of life in a life that is full of uncertainty.
So what happens when you are certain that the voice you hear belongs to a man who tortured and raped you?
But you never saw his face, and now this man seems so much a charmer, possessing none of the evil characteristics commonly assumed of the capacity for brutality, or so it seems, at least, to someone you love.
What happens when the realities of war, torture and terrorism strike not in some obscure other world countries, but in your own country?
These are some of the complex questions and themes that arise in Ariel Dorfman's “Death and the Maiden,” directed by Craig Stoebling at the Vortex Theatre.
“On the surface, this play is about human rights violations, but it's also about so much more: forgiveness and connecting with people that you love,” Stoebling said. “A lot of people think that it's all about vengeance, and I can see why people might think that, but it's more about repentance and closure.”
Said to be based on abuse of political prisoners in Chile, the play focuses on a night of terror for a man, Roberto, bound to a chair by a pistol-packing woman, Paulina. Roberto protests his innocence but she's determined to extract his confession. Stuck in the middle is the woman's husband, Gerardo, who can't believe a man so intelligent and so witty and poised could be the same monster his wife is describing.
Yes, she was blindfolded during her own recounted ordeal, but she knows his voice, his mannerisms, his smell, she says. Still, is that enough evidence to kill a man?
Stoebling said examples of Roberto's character can be found in history, such as in the Nazi henchmen who tortured hapless victims in World War II death camps during the day, and then went home to live idyllic, guilt-free lives at home with their families.
“These are people who are able to compartmentalize their lives and to rationalize their decisions,” Stoebling said.
“I think what is really intriguing about the show is that you never know exactly how it ends, when you see that the husband and wife are pictured alone at a concert,” Stoebling said. “The only thing you do know is that she got closure, but did she get it from having killed her oppressor, or did she get it from getting what she wanted from him, which was a confession?”
Stoebling said he proposed the play to the Vortex board because he's intrigued by plays “that don't have a pat happy ending, and that will make the audience think.”
It also resonated with him, he said, because of recent political events involving the treatment of political prisoners by the United States.
“Some issues with regard to the treatment of political prisoners, generally reserved for Latin American or other countries, now seem to hit a little closer to home,” he said.
The cast includes Laurie Lister as Paulina, Dru Ruebush as Gerardo and Harry Zimmerman as Roberto.
Stoebling said he hopes the play will be thought-provoking. An audience discussion with cast and crew is scheduled for after the show on May 18.
“I would like for people to think about the injustices that are still going on in the world, including perhaps in our own backyard.”
WHEN: Friday, May 9-June 1. Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m, and Sundays at 6 p.m.
WHERE: Vortex Theatre, 2004˝ Central SE
HOW MUCH: Tickets are $12. For reservations, call 247-8600 or go to www.vortexabq.org. Pay-what-you-can night is May 11
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