Mar 192014
 

The Washington Post

By Jane Horwitz, Wednesday, March 19, 3:36 PM

‘Happily Ever After’ is a winningly acted meditation on dysfunctional relationships

(Courtesy Ambassador Theater ) – Karin Rosnizeck and Doug Krehbel in Happily Ever After from Ambassador Theater.

Many are the ways in which men and women misconstrue, misapprehend and just plain miss the boat when it comes to love and marriage. These are enumerated in Cristina Colmena’s amusing trio of playlets under the title “Happily Ever After,” having its world premiere in a winningly acted bare-bones production by Ambassador Theater.

It’s a lean staging and a mere hour of theater — but a pretty full hour, all the same, at Flashpoint’s intimate Mead Theatre Lab. However, a more accurate title might be “Happily Ever After — Not.”

Colmena’s playlets hit the mark more often than they miss. As staged rather broadly for such a small space by Hanna Bondarewska (Ambassador Theater’s artistic director), they still elicit laughs of recognition. Who, after all, hasn’t had one or two dysfunctional relationships?

The three pieces are not equally funny or incisive, but they show that dramatist Colmena has flair, and a subtly European mind-set when it comes to romance. That follows, since she hails from Spain, though lives in New York now. The Washington-based Ambassador Theater, now in its fifth year, is devoted to staging theatrical works by authors from around the world. (“Happily Ever After” is performed in English.)

Actors Karin Rosnizeck and Doug Krehbel play the couples in each playlet, all named merely He and She. Brief blackouts allow them to switch with simple changes of costumes and props. A 45-degree turn of the large table, which sits lengthwise during the first scene, transforms it into a bed for the second and third scenes.

A title projected at the rear of the stage announces the first piece — “Misunderstandings.” While not unamusing, it is the least emotionally resonant and most artificial of the three. The lights come up on a young woman and young man, probably 20-somethings, sitting at opposite ends of the table. They were supposed to meet and patch up a quarrel, but one of them got the name of the bar wrong, so they each wait alone, too stubborn to call the other. They fume, but only to the audience. Once or twice, the actors move into the same space, reenacting flashbacks of the earlier, happier days of their affair.

In “Don’t Take It Personally,” the strongest of the three pieces, a pair of 40ish sophisticates smoke languidly after an anonymous liaison that led from a bar to her bed. Now she’s ready for him to leave, though by the clock it’s only pre-dawn. He wants to linger and cuddle. When she demurs, he calls her “cold.” She claims it’s self-protection, listing what can happen when you open your heart even a little: dating, then marriage, then children, then an apartment at the beach, then divorce. “Don’t Take it Personally” comes the closest to a bull’s-eye in performance, direction and authorial insight. It includes fewer speeches to the audience and more interaction between characters, which gives it a dramatic punch that goes beyond mere wit. And a tango interlude, in which the couple have a second erotic encounter imagined in steamy choreography, is fun, if constricted, on the tiny stage.

A married couple in their 60s take the spotlight in “Melodrama.” He snaps photos of Her for a 30th-anniversary celebration that their daughter is planning. While he clicks away, his wife breaks her pose to excoriate him and vent about her long marital misery. But her speeches are for the audience’s ears only. And when he finally pipes up, his words, too, are just for the audience. In the end, their fights remain unfought, except in their heads and our ears.

Lots of elements in “Happily Ever After” invite a more avant-garde approach than director Bondarewska takes. She mines the humor and familiarity in Colmena’s script, but this set of plays, because of how it is constructed, offers both professionals and students a chance to experiment.

“Happily Ever After” and “Typing,” another play by Colmena, have been published in “New Plays From Spain: Eight Works by Seven Playwrights” (Martin E. Segal Theatre Center Publications, New York, 2013), where the scripts appear side by side in Spanish and English.

Jane Horwitz is a freelance writer.

‘Happily Ever After’

By Cristina Colmena. Directed by Hanna Bondarewska. Sound and video design, David Crandall; set, Greg Jackson and Jonathan Rushbrook; lighting, Stephen Shetler; costumes, Basmah Alomar; choreography, Francesca Jandasek and Dan Istrate. Tickets $22-$37. About one hour. Presented through March 30 by the Ambassador Theater at Flashpoint’s Mead Theater Lab, 916 G Street, NW. Visit www.aticc.org.

 

Mar 182014
 

‘Happily Ever After’ at Ambassador Theater

by Eliza Anna Falk on March 17, 2014

FIVE STARS 82x15
Cristina Colmena’s Happily Ever After is no fairy tale! If you are in a mood for a spicy dark comedy about love’s tribulations, leave your children with a nanny and head to the Mead Theatre at Flash Point for an evening of laughter and self-reflection. The compelling play which had its world premiere on March 13th, delivers a truly entertaining experience with high emotional resonance. The play’s three acts have distinctive titles as each presents a different male-female scenario. We see young lovers destined to part in ‘Misunderstanding’; a promising one night stand which fails to blossom in ’ Don’t take it personally’; and keeping appearances after thirty years of marriage in ‘Melodrama.’ What bounds the three couples together, is their inability to act on their true needs due to fear, insecurity and pessimism. “These scenes are only snapshots of love stories, or better said, “un-love” stories”, says the author, who also writes, that the characters “could be anyone of us at some moment of our lives: we recognize these people, sometimes they even say the same things that we say.”

Karin Rosnizeck and Doug Krehbel. Photo by .Magda Pinkowska Gorman.Karin Rosnizeck and Doug Krehbel. Photo by Magda Pinkowska Gorman. 

The author’s choice to present three age groups symbolic of a lifetime worth of romantic vicissitudes and focus entirely on unhappy side of love does not necessarily fill one with optimism, especially those who are still waiting to experience couples’ bliss. Nevertheless, the play’s message is clear – if you keep sitting on a fence and do not overcome your fears and insecurities, happiness may pass you by. The impact of the play on the audience promptly materializes and is clearly heard, the response accentuated by bursts of laughter and sounds of disbelief, pity, approval or silence. Judging by the reactions of my two female friends sitting nearby, one in her thirties and happily married, the other in her sixties, deeply hurt and disappointed by a failed marriage, the amount of laughter may have depended on one’s life experiences. My younger friend appeared to be thoroughly entertained, the older rather silent and somber, likely touched in a painful place and forced to reflect on a sad past and loneliness of the present.

Ambassador’s Theater‘s production directed by Hanna Bondarewska, starring Karin Rosnizeck and Doug Krehbel, cleverly blends words with movement, music, light and dance. The impact of the Director’s vision makes its mark early in the play. The first act, in which the characters oscillate between moments of past and present, has been orchestrated like a musical piece with a clear rhythm, carefully measured movements, shifts, and light changes. The blackouts, accentuating and helping with transitions continue throughout the play, as does the projected image of a clock, reminding us about the importance of time and timing, and prompting us to act fast or we may end up old and unhappy. Harmonious synchronization of actors’ gestures is effectively used to create and magnify dramatic effects. Seeing the two one-night-standers in bed the morning after smoking cigarettes in unison, does not only heighten the comic effect of the scene, but also expertly kills any romantic vibes between the couple. The passionate tango scene choreographed by Francesca Jandasek and Dan Istrate, acts not only as an expression of chemistry between the lovers, but also adds to the overall melodic feel of the show.

The actors meet the challenges of having to incarnate different characters of distinctly different age groups with flying colors. With no characterization and only a costume change and few props at hand, they brilliantly combine facial expressions, voice modulation, body language, and age appropriate mannerisms to fool us into believing they are in their twenties or sixties. Whilst they play their own age effortlessly as ‘one-night-standers’, they surprisingly shine the brightest as ’60-somethings’ in the third act.

Costume Designer Basmah Alomar (Costume Designer) makes excellent choices of costumes and props. Set Designer Jonathan Rushbrook was faced with a different challenge of having to switch from a bar to a bedroom setting with minimal transition time. A big single platform is used as a table top in a cafe scene as well as a bed in the next two acts and serves its purpose perfectly, transformed only with handful of accessories such as side lamps, bar stools, bed linen and a few basic props. Lighting, designed by Stephen Shelter, is crucial in marking the time transitions, creating ‘flash-backs’ and facilitating swift set changes between the acts. So are the sound and music, which under the expert care of Sound and Video Designer David Crandall  define the setting of each act, emphasize the mood and fill our ears with beautiful music.

Spring is only three days away (believe it or not!), and is a great time to reflect on our love lives – and to make adjustments or start over. Don’t miss Happily Ever After! It delivers a valuable opportunity to reflect on love and its challenges, and to learn from mistakes made by unlucky lovers. Take the melodrama personally or just relax and enjoy the show because you will be thoroughly entertained!

 

Mar 182014
 

Message of World Theatre Day 2014

Brett Bailey’s Message

Wherever there is human society, the irrepressible Spirit of Performance manifests.

Under trees in tiny villages, and on high tech stages in global metropolis; in school halls and in fields and in temples; in slums, in urban plazas, community centres and inner-city basements, people are drawn together to commune in the ephemeral theatrical worlds that we create to express our human complexity, our diversity, our vulnerability, in living flesh, and breath, and voice.

We gather to weep and to remember; to laugh and to contemplate; to learn and to affirm and to imagine. To wonder at technical dexterity, and to incarnate gods. To catch our collective breath at our capacity for beauty and compassion and monstrosity. We come to be energized, and to be empowered. To celebrate the wealth of our various cultures, and to dissolve the boundaries that divide us.

Wherever there is human society, the irrepressible Spirit of Performance manifests. Born of community, it wears the masks and the costumes of our varied traditions. It harnesses our languages and rhythms and gestures, and clears a space in our midst.

And we, the artists that work with this ancient spirit, feel compelled to channel it through our hearts, our ideas and our bodies to reveal our realities in all their mundanity and glittering mystery.

But, in this era in which so many millions are struggling to survive, are suffering under oppressive regimes and predatory capitalism, are fleeing conflict and hardship; in which our privacy is invaded by secret services and our words are censored by intrusive governments; in which forests are being annihilated, species exterminated, and oceans poisoned: what do we feel compelled to reveal?

In this world of unequal power, in which various hegemonic orders try to convince us that one nation, one race, one gender, one sexual preference, one religion, one ideology, one cultural framework is superior to all others, is it really defensible to insist that the arts should be unshackled from social agendas?

Are we, the artists of arenas and stages, conforming to the sanitized demands of the market, or seizing the power that we have: to clear a space in the hearts and minds of society, to gather people around us, to inspire, enchant and inform, and to create a world of hope and open-hearted collaboration?

More information about Brett Bailey

JOIN AMBASSADOR THEATER MARCH 27th WORLD THEATER CELEBRATION

Get Your Tickets today, the ticket includes the show and a wine reception after the show!

at FLASHPOINT, 916 G Street, NW

 

Mar 182014
 

HOLA CULTURA

DC’S LATINO CULTURAL HUB

Playwright Cristina Colmena on “Happily Ever After”

March 18, 2014 by hola
Love’s complicated — and so is translation!
Happily.3After moving to New York a few years ago, Cristina Colmena wrote “Happily Ever After,” a play about the difficulties of romantic love that received its world premiere earlier this month at Flashpoint’s Ambassador Theater. As a challenge, the Spanish playwright decided to write it in English. So when her government asked to publish the piece in a bilingual compilation of new works by Iberian playwrights, she was faced with the unusual task of translating her own words into Spanish. At Flashpoint last Friday night, she explained that it was like “translating in stereo.”

Watch our clip of Colmena speaking after the performance:

The dark comedy has been described as Beckettian by director Hanna Bondarewska. It stars Karin Rosnizeck as “she” and Doug Krehbel as “he.”

For a more about the play, read the article on the DC Metro Theater Arts website.

Performances Tuesday-Saturday through March 30
Ambassador Theater
Mead Theater Lab at Flashpoint
916 G St, NW
MORE INFO

 

Mar 182014
 

DC Theatre Scene

March 17, 2014 by 
Ambassador Theater’s latest production has just opened at Mead Theatre Lab. Happily Ever After’s three scenes explore the landscape of loneliness and aloneness experienced in various stages of “relationships.”  Whether it’s a misunderstanding that causes a couple to inadvertently stand each other up, a one-night stand with emotional possibilities, or the inner turmoil of a couple “celebrating” their 30th anniversary, the pieces reflect how relationships are tricky, tenuous, and can turn on a dime, or as in one case, a well-executed tango twirl.
Doug Krehbel and Karin Rosnizeck (Photo: courtesy of Ambassador TheaterDoug Krehbel and Karin Rosnizeck (Photo: courtesy of Ambassador Theater 

Karin Rosnizeck  and Doug Krehbel as the main characters “She” and “He” play off of each other with familiarity and grace. Cristina Colmena’s playful script eases us into the characters’ conflicts while their interior dialogs describe what is, was, or could be. Director Hanna Bondarewska has a deft and steady hand in orchestrating the emotional dynamics that can see the underneath or explode in histrionic despair. Even the scene change where the actors convert a large dining table into a cozy bed helps to reflect the co-dependent interplay between characters—we need each other no matter how badly we might get along.

Rosnizeck has a blast plummeting the emotional depths of her characters.  I last saw her as the tumultuous artist Camille Claudel in a new work several years ago and she covers swatches of emotional terrain throughout all three scenes here, too.  The first scene, Misunderstanding, is everyone’s complete nightmare of missed opportunity.  What would have, could have, should have happened if only this had been said or that done.

Rosnizeck is captivating from her first wordless entrance, biding time by nervously exploring the contents of her purse, looking around impatiently for someone who is obviously not going to show up.  Across the table from her, Krehbel portrays a character just as perturbed waiting for his own no-show.  Nicely directed by Bondarewska, the two are oblivious to each other’s presence but cross into each other’s physical space and connect to portray their sides of the story.  Periodically, both actors look behind them at the large clock placed prominently back center stage, an obvious (maybe too literal) representation of the passage of time.

In Don’t Take It Personally, the actors convert two tables into a bed, crawl in, and begin to intriguingly unravel who they are to each other.  Of the three scenes, this one has the most dramatic appeal because of the full range of possibilities between these characters—they’re obviously attracted to each other, and could possibly relate for more than a quickie, if they could escape their own self-imposed emotional barriers.  Choreography by Francesca Jandasek and Dan Istrate embellishes the moments with a flourish using the tango to reflect passion, escape, and embrace…TO READ MORE

 

Recommended
HAPPILY EVER AFTER
Closes March 30, 2014
Ambassador Theater at
Flashpoint/Mead Theatre Lab
916 G St NW
Washingtonm DC
1 hour with no intermission
Tickets: $20 – $40
Details
Tickets

 

Mar 172014
 

ShowBizRadio

Theater Info for the Washington DC region

Ambassador Theater Happily Ever After

By David Siegel • Mar 17th, 2014 • Category: Reviews

What a drag it is trying to find and keep love. Really, is it just helplessly hoping, even if there are apps to help find true love? Add some unhealthy doses of cynicism, lousy communication skills and a slew of phobias, and voilà, you have the premise behind the new production of Happily Ever After by Spanish playwright Cristina Colmena now at the Ambassador Theater.

Happily Ever After is a set of three short acts, each about 20 minutes in length, about terribly lonely people. It is best classified as a very dark drama-comedy that chronicles struggles in three vastly different relationships. Whatever chemistry there once was has been depleted into either verbal recriminations and brick-bats or fears of flying into a relationship with tiny hints of happiness peaking through.

The play, written in 2013, is receiving its première at the Ambassador Theater. Colmena is a writer and playwright born in Spain, now living in New York. She writes film reviews, articles and short stories. Her play Happily Ever After was included in the New Plays from Spain series as part of the PEN World Voices Festival 2013.

Happily Ever After is directed by Hanna Bondarewska, Artistic Director and Founder of the Ambassador. In program notes, Bondarewska mentioned that Happily Ever Afterprovides an opportunity “to discover new work from Spanish contemporary repertoire” and for “unveiling the richness of human nature.” The production features Karin Rosnizeck as “She” and Doug Krehbel as the characters “He.”

Each of playwright Colmena’s scenes provides snapshot-like observations of often irritating characters of different ages sorting through what they want and what they have. The dialogue is simple, direct and spare; full of set-ups and verbal responses. There is a one night stand with modest potential to last longer, a passive-aggressive break-up of a six-month relationship after the early romantic blush has faded, and a one-note Virginia Woolf-like, older married couple bickering as they celebrate 30 years of marriage with the purchase of a new bed.

A pleasing musical underscore for the production is the preshow songs selected by David Crandall. There are about eight pop songs from the 1950′s-2010′s. The titles and lyrics set a mood for the evening. The music flows through Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers doing “Why do Fools Fall in Love,” The Shirelles with their “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?,” Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together,” Robert Palmer’s “Addicted to Love,” Melanie Safka’s “I’ve Got a Brand New Pair of Roller-skates” and others. There is also fitting music selected for the three scenes.

The set by Jonathan Rushbrook is effectively minimalist. At scene one, there is a long table placed lengthwise to the audience with bar stools. In later scenes, the two actors move the table, transforming it into a bed with side tables. There are projected video images of different clock faces for each scene. The clocks have moving hands and ticking noises, also from David Crandall. The ticking provides for passing of time along with some ominous expressions of foreboding.

The first act is entitled “Misunderstanding.” It is early evening. Each of the two characters, “She” and “He” has the opportunity to speak in monologue of the spark being gone. She arrives as if late. She is in a cocktail dress and heels, immediately beginning to fix her lipstick and brush her hair. She is waiting for someone as she gulps a beer. He saunters into the scene wearing sneakers, jeans and a backward-facing baseball cap. He sits at the other end of the table. He has a coffee. And waits. They speak to us jabbering about their annoyance with the other. We learn that they are waiting for each other, but are in different places waiting. What we learn from all their talk is that what was once exciting is now boring. They have cell phones. Neither makes an effort to call the other. The relationship ends with a whimper. It is a chilly scene; two people very much alone.

“Don’t Take it Personally” is the second act. A couple is waking up at 5 AM in bed. Neither seems sure of the other’s name. She wants him to go. It is her bed. Not that he is a bad man, but well, she is very protective of herself. She has been hurt before, no need to get involved again. She doesn’t want to give real romance a chance, even as he tries, well tries a little. A bit of protectiveness lifts with cute comedic lines and the chemistry between Rosnizeck and Krehbel. Little sparks appear in the night’s darkness. The sparks are made visible with a sensual tango (choreographed by Francesca Jandesek and Dan Istrate). But she is aggressively unwilling to go beyond the encounter. Her fear’s overtake her. He does not push the matter. Cue Randy Newman’s “Better Off Dead.” If only one or the other could push beyond their regular reactions they might have been two together and not alone.

Scene #3 is “Melodrama.” This is the least successful of the trio of stories. Two grumpy people married for three decades have forgotten what brought them together. They have just purchased a new bed. They pick at each other in monologues and directly. Words are like viscous stilettos for him. She wants to be held and cared for; that is beyond him. He will only take photos of her with a fake smile to send to their daughter and grandchild. Thought empty they would rather be alone together than alone without someone breathing next to them. What emotions that exist are her feigned and real melodramatic efforts to be held. It is an attempt at foreplay without reciprocity. Is the new bed to sleep on, for romance, or just a new place to watch television?

Accomplished with economy, Happily Ever After is an intermission free hour gazing at three unhappy couples; each unhappy in their own ways [thank you, Tolstoy]. Happily Ever After is a tongue-in-cheek title waiting for a comma with a next phrase starting with “if.” Ah, what a mess it is finding and keeping love fresh. Still we try our best to find that special one.

For your reviewer let us end with this Randy Newman song title as a final coda, “I Think It’s Gonna Rain Today.”

PHOTO GALLERY

Doug Krehbel and Karin Rosnizeck Karin Rosnizeck and Doug Krehbel
Doug Krehbel and Karin Rosnizeck
Karin Rosnizeck and Doug Krehbel

Photos provided by Ambassador Theater

CAST

  • She: Karin Rosnizeck
  • He: Doug Krehbel

DESIGN AND PRODUCTION TEAM

  • Directed by Hanna Bondarewska
  • Choreography of Tango: Francesca Jandasek and Dan Istrate
  • Lights: Stephen Shetler
  • Costumes : Basmah Alomar
  • Sound and Visual Effects Design: David Crandall
  • Stage Manager: Madelyn Farris

Disclaimer: Ambassador Theater provided a complimentary media ticket to ShowBizRadio for this review.


 

Mar 152014
 

Woman Around Town

by  on Playing Around

Love; either you cringe or you perk up. Marriage; either you get it or you don’t. Divorce; the inevitable if the first two aren’t completely grasped, in no particular order. This is Cristina Colmena’s play Happily Ever After, and although there wasn’t actually a divorce, the realization is simply that you can be with a person day after day, month after month, year after year, and be divorced mentally, spiritually, physically, and emotionally.

Set in a dark theater amongst four rows of chairs, sat a table, two beers, two lamps, and two chairs. The first scene, called “Misunderstandings” focused around two people and a clock. Obviously some type of chemistry between the lovers is shared, but through a simple misunderstanding of time and place due to a lack of communication, both ultimately lose out on the opportunity to further explore the infinite possibilities. I pity the fool.

Next, a bed, two nightstands, two cigarettes, a clock, a one night stand; absolutely scandalous. Waking up afterward with the awkwardness of not exactly knowing the person next to you; and though they sense there may be something there, the shame of what has occurred outweighs any possibility of sensibility to move in the right direction. He wanted her; she thought she would get hurt. She pushed him away, and so he left.

DSC00556 (2)The final scene called “Melodrama” brought attention to a married couple, who after 30 years had lost their spark due to a lack of expression, in the form of speech. To their family, they appeared happy, to their friends, perhaps the same; yet, to each other, the words just weren’t there. The separation happened early in their marriage, but the schism continued to deepen. Only quiet sighs and an unrelenting frustration remained. So 30 years later pretending became the best thing to do.

Karin Rosnizeck and Doug Krehbel who play the communication challenged couple in all three acts make sure that Colmena’s points are well delivered as each time the scorned lover fails to find the words to express his or her feelings. There were times when the audience snickered, or outright laughed at their antics. Nonetheless, underneath the banter and expletives, a seriousness harbored, almost sadness. As we have all had our heart broken, or maybe reflected on a fleeting expression, or a misunderstanding that ended badly. And in that moment, it is here you find yourself instead of laughing, connecting with the actors who are lost in their thoughts, but don’t have the words to say what is truly in their hearts.

Each situation’s outcome could have been different; however, a lack of patience, articulation, and vulnerability kept each from ending Happily Ever After. The gist, say what you mean, and mean what you say so that you too can experience that ridiculous song from childhood, “First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage.” I digress.

Happily Ever After
Written by Cristina Colmena
Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint
916 G Street, NW
Through March 30, 2014

 

Mar 142014
 
Play associated audio
comments
Happily Ever After is presented in partnership with SPAIN Arts & Culture. Karin Rosnizeck and Doug Krehbel co-star as She and He, respectively.
Ambassador Theater
Happily Ever After is presented in partnership with SPAIN Arts & Culture. Karin Rosnizeck and Doug Krehbel co-star as She and He, respectively.

March 14 to 30: “Happily Ever After”
Ambassador Theater presents the world premiere of “Happily Ever After“ at CulturalDC’s Flashpoint Gallery in Northwest. Spanish playwright Cristina Colmena says the show is about love, the struggle to be happy, and the gaps in communication that often occur in relationships.

“Because of the movies and the novels, we have that image of what love should be, and finally life is not so easy. It’s like a struggle,” Colmena says. “You have to try one day and another day and sometimes there are disappointments and sometimes there is loss.”

The play is directed by Hanna Bondarewska and runs through March 30.

 

Mar 142014
 
Un momento de la obra 'Happily ever after', de la española Cristina Colmena y estrenada en Washington.Un momento de la obra ’Happily ever after’, de la española Cristina Colmena y estrenada en Washington.Magda Pinkowska Gorman

Enviar
Ampliar fotoLa escritora y dramaturga Cristina Colmena.

EFE 14.03.2014 – 12:41hLa escritora y dramaturga española Cristina Colmena ha estrenado en Washington Happily ever after, una obra en inglés en la que, a través de las historias de tres parejas de diferentes edades, reflexiona sobre cómo cambian el amor y el desamor a lo largo del tiempo.

Tras su debut este jueves en el teatro Ambassadorde la capital estadounidense, la sala seguirá acogiendohasta el próximo 30 de marzo representaciones de la obra, dirigida por Hanna Bondarewska y en la que un dúo de actores, Karin Rosnizeck y Doug Krehbel, interpreta todo el reparto.

Una pareja joven que parece no entenderse del todo, un hombre y una mujer de mediana edad que se acaban de conocer y no tienen claro si iniciar una relación y un matrimonio de ancianos hastiado tras treinta años de convivencia conyugal son losdesdichados personajes que buscan la felicidad en sus relaciones en Happily ever after.

“Todos queremos ser amados, dormir junto a alguien, ser felices y, al final, parece que es bastante complicado”, explica a Efe Cristina Colmena, quien asegura que la obra trata “de lo difícil que es el amor”.

La evolución de las discusiones de pareja

Con una escenografía que va cambiando, la obra transcurre alrededor de una mesa que después se transforma en cama, con un reloj proyectado en una pantalla como elemento unificador de las tres escenas en que se divide la obra, una para cada pareja. En esta austera puesta en escena, los supuestos amantes, que no se acaban de aclarar con sus sentimientos, piensan en voz alta, bailan y se besan, incluso se torean, pero, sobre todo, discuten….TO READ MORE

 

Mar 132014
 
March 12, 2014                                                                              Happily Ever After, a thought-provoking play at the Ambassador Theater chronicles the relationships of three male-female couples of different ages, features Doug Krehbel and Karin Rosnizeck.
Washingon, D.C. — The world premiere of Happily Ever After, a thought-provoking play by Spanish playwright Cristina Colmena, opens Thursday at the Ambassador Theater’s Mead Theater Lab at Flashpoint, 916 G Street NW.Happily Ever After grapples with relationships of couples – love, marriage and the battle of the sexes — and how they struggle and stagnate over time despite the best of intentions. But are all relationships doomed?

The play chronicles the relationships of three male-female couples of different ages. The audience observes the couples through relationship periods where the characters want to be happy but they do not know how. The audience finds young lovers bound by a powerful attraction yet destined to part; cynical middle-aged one-night standers failing to act on a promising encounter; and an older, deeply unhappy couple keeping up appearances after 30 years of marriage…TO READ MORE