★★★★ Sophie Treadwell (1885-1970) was an American writer and playwright, committed to the feminist movement that gained strength during the early years of the 20th century. Her best-known work is “Machinal”, structured in nine episodes, based on a real case, where Treadwell unfilteredly exposes the situation of subjugation of women. The plot tells the story of Helen, pointed out and mocked by her office colleagues, who marries her boss, despite the fact that he produces a visceral rejection. Her mother, imbricated in a society that preaches (good or bad) marriage as the ultimate goal in female life, is an immediately preceding link in that chain of silent suffering, but even so, she consents to this state of affairs and attacks her daughter in front of her. the first hint of rebellion. The wedding night, maternity, breastfeeding, forbidden love, and finally, the death sentence, are the topics that the writer brings to the scene as a strong denunciation, barefaced, without mystery or suggestion.
The strong point of this version of “Machinal” lies in the approach chosen by Daniel Teveles, with the odd collaboration of Teresa Duggan. A careful work on words and saying is perceived, complemented by the dance to relate Helen with her ‘alter ego’, and to describe the gray existence of the office workers, blending in with each other in their steps and in the carrying of objects scenographic, all of which is part of the physical theater, as well as mimicry and the expressionist gesture. Complemented by costumes that impeccably allude to the 1920s and a schematic and effective set design, the performance of the performers was solid, with Paola Sanabria as the protagonist and Julián Mardirossian as her repellent husband.
