Theater: “Breton’s Journey” with the Collective Theater Without Walls

MEXICO CITY (apro).-A journey to talk about surrealism, mix realities, travel from the dream perspective in which our Mexico is immersed and take as a common thread the visit made by André Breton, the father of surrealism, to give a series of lectures in 1938.

His meetings with personalities from politics and protest painting of that time; the recreation of conversations, or rather the declaration of principles of the characters; fictional situations that could have occurred during that visit and that were transformed into an amazing journey through different contexts and environments…

“Breton’s Journey, One Hundred Years of Surrealism,” is the work presented by the Collective Theater Without Walls in relation to the anniversary of the appearance in France of the Surrealist Manifesto in 1924, which marked the beginning of an important movement in the plastic arts and literary works of the 20th century. Break with rationality and the tangible world to delve into the possibility of being, in the expression of the dreamlike in the plastic arts, poetry and narrative, and make room for what goes beyond what is seen and has a clear logic.

In Mexico, the surrealism of painters such as Frida Kahlo and Remedios Varo coexisted with the muralism of David Alfaro Siqueiros and Diego Rivera, and was opposed or complemented by revolutionary political positions that were at their peak following the Russian Revolution and the exile of León. Trotsky.

Thus, “Breton’s Journey”, original idea and direction by David Psalmon, with dramaturgy by Guillermo León, is a happily unstructured, dreamlike and fun journey to show the Mexico of that time and create scenes where André Breton talks with artists and social fighters like Frida Kahlo, Siqueiros and Trotsky, with whom he lived, or with characters like Pancho Villa, the shaman Pachita or even El Santo, with whom he had no contact but who refer us to a non-rational logic. The criterion is to show this surrealism in our country and the implausibility that exists in it.

With the scenery by Sergio López Vigueras and the costumes by Mario Marín, we see chairs and tables with uneven legs, a deformed broom or typical Mexican costumes and video-projections by Héctor Cruz that complete the aesthetics of the show.

The creative freedom of “Breton’s Journey” takes us on that roller coaster of encounters and realities. Although long – where it repeats formats such as television programs and the presence of El Santo and La Llorona – the work allows us to get to know the entire political, social and artistic environment of Mexico at that time. The farcical tone in the interpretations is a success when it emphasizes the game, the laughter and the fun.

The performances of Bruno Mestri stand out, who plays Breton, Lou Best plays Jaqueline Lamba, his wife and other characters, as well as Beatriz Luna and Roam León who play others who populate this surreal and unbridled universe.

“Breton’s Journey” is very well documented, having as one of its main sources Fabianne Bradu’s book “André Breton in Mexico”, and it is detached from it to rise with the imagination to supposed encounters, possible amazing references to our country. and generic characters such as the president of Mexico, who collects iconic phrases from the leaders who have governed us.

At the Julio Castillo Theater, at the Centro Cultural del Bosque, “this comforting, playful and fun work that brings us closer to the surrealist movement and postures is presented until April 14 (Thursday and Friday, 6 p.m., Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th). revolutionary policies of the 30s and 40s in this Mexico that, as we see, is full of magic and fun.