Tango Bar
Melodia de Arrabal
Bilingual Foundation of The Arts
Reviewed by Jose Ruiz

The sensuous rhythms of the Argentine Tango provide the backdrop for a compelling story of the Tango Bar, a place where people meet, fall in love, argue and live their lives amidst the strains of the melancholy music.

There is a quirky assortment of patrons at the bar, from beautiful taxi dancers to a ghostly apparition representing the soul of the Tango that haunts the bar and offers acrid commentary on the people and events as they transpire. The fable has grown that the Payador died from drinking too much at the bar and now his spirit roams the bar unable to leave (Kiko Mahecha).


The Cast of Tango Bar

Mahecha, who sometimes speaks and sometimes sings to the audience, advances the story with brief comments about someone at the bar, which is then expanded as we get a glimpse of the person’s interaction with others. Thus we learn that Rosa, La Milonguita (Elizabeth Del Sol) has recently had a brother killed and suspicions fall on one of the patrons. We also become privy to a lost love affair between La Rubia Margot and Diego (Ana Maria Menendez and Ed Ricard) while a budding romance develops with the waiter Andres and La Paica Rita (Rony Vega and Sandra Muñoz). In contrast, we share the loneliness of Isabel, (Blanca Aurora Montes) whose search for love will apparently continue unfulfilled. Between the vignettes the patrons dance the Tango and the famous singer, now a fading star, Carlos More (played by the excellent singer Gilbert Moret) offers some of the more popular and lamenting Tango selections.

Written by Lina Montalvo and Margarita Galban, who also directs, the story weaves smoothly between the different protagonists using the music and dance to advance the story in a seamless thread. There are eighteen actors, and most of them are on stage all the time. One can only image how director Margarita Galban managed to handle the smooth blocking and pacing which allows each actor to bring out the character in a most favorable and believable manner. Not an easy task by any measure.

One cannot overlook the meticulously elegant costuming by Ana Alfonso, who also plays the faded singer Elvirita. The men are resplendent in elegant suits and the women are fetchingly sexy with bright dresses with a slit on the side that goes up to here. Especially sensual is the Tango between Stella and Omar Castro, professional dancers who have performed in the major capitals of the world and have arranged the choreography for this production. Then there’s the dark and evocative lighting which almost becomes a character on its own, sometimes foreshadowing, other times reaffirming but always in synch with the action and mood of the scene.

In addition to the story and the direction, the success of the show is due to the excellent performances by the ensemble. Adding to the actors already mentioned, other cast members include: Helidoro Garcia, Angelo Calamera, Amalia Salazar, Sergio Julian de Oliveira with interns Gabriela Lagucci, Seidy Figueroa and Hector M. Ramirez.

For those who enjoy good Tango dancing coupled with good acting and an absorbing story, the Tango Bar is the kind of theatre that reaffirms the commitment that the BFA always displays in its productions. Click here to see upcoming productions.

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