Theater in NYC: The Rise and Fall of Macondo at Pushkin Hall

The Russian Arts & Theater Studio presents the Rise and Fall of Macondo, a play inspired by One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez; at Pushkin Hall from October 30 – November 24, 2019

The cast of The Rise and Fall of Macondo; The Russian Arts & Theater Studio / Image courtesy of the theater

Selecting One Hundred Years of Solitude for a stage adaptation takes tenacity and ambition. After all, to recount the tales of the long list of Buendia family members, their close and distant relatives and neighbors in the town of Macondo from Marquez’s masterpiece would seem to take an eternity in theater terms. Or, it could feel like eternity for the theatergoers. Yet, the company’s artistic director Aleksey Burago accomplished the task with fluidity and charm.

Adapted with the broad strokes of a pen, the script has all the major turns of Macondo’s history, from its founding as a place of seclusion to the ups and downs of the time of peace to the honors of the years of war and ultimate decimation. Skillfully weaving in the inventive soundtrack and elaborate ensemble scenes, Burago sets a perfect pace for the narrative and condenses the epic story into a little over a two-hour running time. The acting by the cast of The Russian Arts and Theater Studio is spot on and flows with ease.

The spirit of a big family all living under the same roof is recreated by the 15 cast members who are present on stage throughout the play. In keeping with the orthodox traditions and orders, male and female characters are positioned on the opposite sides of the stage for clear delineation of gender roles. But soon, Ursula, Di Zhu, the family matriarch takes control of the household in her hands and raises its 6 generations. She eventually passes the baton on to her great-grand-daughter Amaranda also played by Zhu. Fate defies the high expectations for Ursula’s sons and grandsons, so Amaranda is the last member of the Buendia family who ends the line. However, the ghosts of procreation and hope remain in the air even when the only creatures left on stage are ants.

Enjoy this sleepless journey of vivid allegories, earthy emotions, and the dreams of a simple life. The play is performed in English; running time is 2 hours and 15 minutes with one intermission.

Inspired by the novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Adapted and directed by Aleksey Burago

Cast: Jaime Carrillo, Micheal Donaldson, Roman Freud, Kristina Korop, Alex Malyi, Luisa Menzen, Ariel Polanco, Paulo Quiros, Riccardo Ripani, Tom Schubert, Lana Stimmler, Desen Uygur, Oleksiy Varfolomiyev, Naira Zakaryan, Di Zhu

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