The play Mia and I had the privilege of seeing this afternoon could have easily been a simple play had it not been for the one actor on stage, Ivo Bastos, who majestically interpreted the role of a person subject to tedium, who in turn created his own inner voices and gave them a voice of their own.
The on-going dialogues which flow from within his head take the shape of puppet figures, whose personalities are as interesting as the one of our multi-directional on-stage actor, whose voice changes according to the voices of those he impersonates, from two old villagers from the upper and lower village divided by the river "our" actor has been made the guardian of to a psychiatrist who has been called in to help him through and who himself has developed a different inner voice from his own.
"The guardian of the river" which has been written and staged by Ricardo Alves is said to be an amusing schizophrenia- like exercise made real by the co-existing relationship between the actor and the multiple characters, whether they are puppets or not.
This play makes us laugh and yet wonder what tedium is about and what it can lead us to ... it makes us also thoroughly think about the role Theatre plays (can play) in our lives and what actors are in essence.
Ivo Bastos, whom I had never heard of, deserves to be mentioned and recognised as the "soul" of this "exercise.
Text and stage setting: Ricardo Alves
Actor on stage: Ivo Bastos
Stage photography: Pedro Vieira de Carvalho
Sound setting and original music: Rodrigo Santos
Technical setting: Joana Caetano
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