An Odd Bunch of Characters

by Tony Lafaro, Ottawa Citizen
June 17, 2010

It’s Raining In Barcelona
by Pau Miró (translated by Sharon G. Feldman).

Rain, or at least the illusion of rain, does eventually fall near the end of this 60-minute drama set in the slums of Barcelona, but not before we learn about a prostitute who yearns for a better life away from her cheeseburger-eating pimp and her special client, a bookstore owner who wishes his wife dead.

They are an odd bunch of strung-out characters in this rather humourless play about love, beauty and fulfillment. Leora Joy Godden is sparkling as Lali, the prostitute who takes up reading Treasure Island and is coerced into reading a passage at the funeral of a client, David, played by Alan Long. Lali’s boyfriend is Carlos (Jeffrey Pufahl), a hungry, lazy pimp who becomes jealous of her attraction to David. Pufahl is wonderfully grumpy in the role, but Long as the philandering husband is detached and cold in his portrayal.

It’s Raining in Barcelona is making its Canadian premiere, and, while it pierces the theme of love and sex, it feels a little soggy.

Bundle of Joy Productions of Saskatoon, Arts Court Theatre, tonight, Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday and June 26.