On Stage: “La Melancolía del Turista”

By Bernardo Moreno

The play “La Melancolía del Turista” is returning to the El Sindicato Cultural Center. This masterpiece by Jomi Oligor and Shaday Larios begins the moment you take your seat in the auditorium. The atmosphere created on stage moves you as you find yourself in the shop of an antique dealer. The collection of antiques that populates the shop feels like a very personal museum. You think this must belong to someone obsessed with the past. But you realize that this is only a manufactured space that is meant to bring you into an intimacy idealized by artists.  

You become one more tourist who has entered a reality frozen in time—all those little antique objects, the shadows that are cast, the careful balance of stage elements, the composition of blurred images, and the dimming of moving lights. It seems a kind of dream world of anchored memories, significant moments, mechanical invention, and captivating poetry. All this and much more frames this beautiful and moving staging.

From the book on which the play is based is this quote: “What will happen to the afternoon light in which you decided to remain detained inside an image? A decomposing image. An expired chemistry. The photons are off. A lost skin that leaves a ghost.”

We are lucky to once again have this play performed in the auditorium of the El Sindicato Cultural Center. It will take place on April 14, 15, and 16 at 8pm. Space is limited, and the show will certainly sell out. Ticket prices range from 100 pesos to 250 pesos. They can be purchased at the Cultural Center at Recreo 4. We recommend buying your tickets in advance. I can tell you, from the heart, this play is an unforgettable experience.