Barcelona
Barcelona has been described as an ‘explosive thriller’ featuring two famous actors in their West End debuts. Film stars Lily Collins and Álvaro Morte took to the stage for the opening of Bess Wohl’s ‘Barcelona’ at the Duke of York's Theatre, London. The question is - do the famous actors live up to their previous, well-acclaimed screen performances?
Constructed by two brilliant names in the creative arts industry, this female led piece is hoping to excite audiences in the West End until early next year. The one act show received a great reaction from the audience, however in its previous run at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles it left audiences with mixed feelings. It has left us wondering if London’s 2024 version will be as polarising for UK audiences as it was under Trip Cullman’s direction in 2016 in America.
You may know Bess Wohl for her previous other acclaimed plays such as Camp Siegfried, Grand Horizons, and Small Mouth Sounds. Wohl also wrote the musical Pretty Filthy and has even turned her hand to writing a feature film called Baby Ruby. In this production she has teamed up with BAFTA nominated director Lynette Linton who is also both a stage and screen powerhouse.
Barcelona is set in the vibrant, titular city in the year 2009. It follows the story of an American tourist and her struggles when she finds herself embarking on an exciting one night stand with a sexy, older Spaniard. Escaping early from a bachelorette party, the incessant, annoying, but beautiful Irene seeks some fun with Manuel, a handsome, mysterious man also visiting Barcelona. The situation slowly evolves into a more sinister plot than it first appears and all is revealed with some unexpected twists and turns.
The characters, Irene (Lily Collins) and Manuel, (Álvaro Morte) are almost perfect opposites, so watching them navigate through their unconventional relationship is both interesting and amusing. The constant clashes of opinions and politics keep the light-heartedness throughout to contrast the heavier underlying themes. Barcelona does possess a cleverly concluded ending, however the multitude of revelations throughout made the rollercoaster ride a little too bumpy without enough time for the actors to sit in the emotions fully.
Lily Collins, known for her well-loved performance as Emily in Emily in Paris, serves an engaging and dynamic rendition of Irene. Despite her character being extremely obnoxious and unlikeable, Collins does an excellent job of winning over the crowd. The screen star makes an amusing drunk and brings a commendable realism with her lines, not overacting a role that would be easy to exaggerate.
Álvaro Morte also keeps the audience engaged with his take on the enigmatic Manuel. The award winning actor, known for his great work in La Casa de Papel and Heist, brings a mature and grounded strength to the stage, nicely balancing out Irene’s young and chaotic energy.
There were a few word stumbles from the pair, showing opening night nerves yet they were hardly noticeable and overall the two held this two-hander show well.
The set and costume by Frankie Bradshaw enabled you to be transported to a typical evening in a standard Spanish city apartment. The lack of colour left the focus on the characters and was an appropriate reflection of the bleak circumstances in which they find themselves in.
The lighting by Jai Morjaria was kept soft and subtle. The gradual lift from night to day was the perfect, gentle shift to balance the darkening narrative. Also used as an additional touch to the piece was a moving shadow on the wall, representing Manuel’s daughter. Used almost as a third character, we could feel the desired presence of the silhouette yet something about it seemed too computer generated and frankly unnatural.
As a whole, the play is quite diverse, including soft, endearing stages whilst also including haunting, eerie moments. The relenting push and pull from the characters makes you feel slightly uneasy as you navigate through phases of liking and disliking each character. The dark and light throughout the funny script takes you on an intense rollercoaster during the 1hr 35 mins however, is it trying to fit too much in without even a short interval for the viewers to process the emotional turbulence?
Barcelona is set to run for a short 12 weeks until 11th January 2025 so don’t miss it if you’re a fan of thrilling, dynamic theatre.
This show was reviewed on the 29th October 2024 at the Duke of York's Theatre, London where it runs until the 11th January 2025. Tickets available here: Barcelona The Play | Starring Lily Collins & Álvaro Morte
Review written by Lauren Atkinson
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Photo credit: Marc Brenner
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