Why are penguins in Antarctica committing mass suicide? To be more precise, why are penguins in an Argentine sector of Antarctica the only ones killing themselves? The question arises, as you might expect, in satire.
In a society where justice has sometimes been ephemeral, people learn to use symbolism and stereotypes to tell a story, a discipline embraced by Argentinean playwright Alejandro Acobino in "Continente Viril," the season finale for Teatro de la Luna, Arlington's Spanish-language theater company.
Acobino was just a child during the violent rule of the military junta that seized power in Argentina in 1976 and went on a rampage against the citizenry. The military lost control of the country in 1983, but not before thousands of people vanished without a trace. But in this outpost in an Argentine sector of Antarctica, the "virile continent," the junta is a fond memory for some, and the tools of its trade are still close at hand some time after the return to civilian rule. There is still a war going on, but now it is being waged against nature, the once pristine continent being despoiled by humans. Meanwhile, some of the humans exiled to this melting piece of real estate seem more concerned with clinging to some crumbling sense of order than allowing science to fulfill its mission, and a little microcosm of the previous military/political society is regenerated.
It sounds deadly serious, but Acobino has written a spoof, scathing to those who understand the symbolism and an enjoyable, broadly played comedy with occasionally dark undertones for everyone else. A young scientist named Sosnowsky (Willie Padin) is sent to ascertain why penguins are opting for death near a tiny military encampment that serves primarily as a radio station. The station is a potent symbol of power in a totalitarian state, even if few can hear its remote signal.
We first meet Sosnowsky as he records his observations on the deck of the ship taking him to the installation, the quirky nature of the story immediately evident as he detaches the ship's railing and carries it with him to the base. Does that mean this scientist carries his own reality with him wherever he goes, even as he ventures into the surreal world Acobino has cooked up for him? Uh, sure. Why not? After all, director Mario Marcel describes his approach to the play as "surrealistic grotesque satire." And that sure sounds like a detached railing.
The scientist is greeted by two eccentric military officers and a fussy civil servant with delusions of grandeur. Marcel employs distinctly different acting methodologies with his cast, hoping the mix of styles adds up to a satisfying melange. Somehow it does. Soldiers Benitez (Peter Pereyra) and Melendez (Angel Torres) are caricatures, rendered in the so-called grotesque discipline of the commedia dell'arte tradition, with exaggerated motion and broad acting. Each soldier hews to military procedure at the expense of common sense. Civil servant Perrupato (Carlos Parra) dances around logic to avoid responsibility, his personal reality a surreal blur. The scientist attempts to impose rational discipline on the intellectual chaos he finds, making him the perfect vessel of satirical comment as Padin plays it fairly matter-of-factly.
The actors are energetic, the pacing is rapid and the laughs are many. There are even a few chills, though not of the Arctic variety.
But, unfortunately, Marcel has opted to forgo simultaneous English translation via headsets, which worked marvelously, replacing it with surtitles flashed on an overhead screen. That's a huge mistake. Anything taking audience eyes off actors diminishes their effectiveness, and it's a tiring nuisance to non-Spanish speakers in attendance. Let's hope this experiment will be judged a failure and the headsets returned when Teatro de la Luna begins its new season in October.
"Continente Viril," performed by Teatro de la Luna, continues through June 18 at Gunston Arts Center's Theater Two, 2700 S. Lang St., Arlington. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with matinees at 3 p.m. on Saturdays. For information and reservations, call 703-548-3092 or visithttp://www.teatrodelaluna.org.
