“The flight of Basilio”, an adaptation of Haroldo Conti to the emotions of childhood

Returning to a place of childhood, whether it’s one’s own home or a beloved place, is usually coated with a patina of melancholy that fills and moves. Caro and José return to a familiar space, inhabited by memories which, at a certain point in the story, become magical, with touches of humor and tenderness.

based on the tale “Ad Astra” (Up to the stars), from Haroldo Conti, Basil’s Flight inaugurated on CABA theatrical evening at the Center Culturel Haroldo Conti and is presented in March and April at the Center Culturel de Coopération. He has the support of Proteatroand is one of the winning projects of the competition the life toldof the Williams Foundation, in 2021.

This last detail is not minor, if we take into account that the narration, the story, what is told, as a memory, has a particular relevance in the work. In fact, it matters Analia Fedra Garciadirector and adaptor of the work, that the starting point for her adaptation was to place the narration within a fiction.

This was the process of selection, adaptation and dramaturgy: “I first read all the complete stories of Haroldo Conti, because he had long wanted to do something with his work and his theater. And this story ‘Ad Astra’, I was interested, above all, in the character of Basilio Argimón, in this idea of ​​creating a flying machine. And with the story, what I did was extract buoys or cores that I felt created a scene or might create a scene. So it was the job, on the one hand, to extract as many characters as possible from the story and, on the other hand, to save moments when I noticed that there was a scene and that there was something more dramatic in the theatrical sense. ”.

It is interesting to know how the creative process went because the audience for the piece (boys and girls in general) can be very frank with criticism. Basil’s Flight exit gracefully and generates a topic of conversation upon exit.

The play intersects theater and rod puppets in a story that recounts the visit of adults Caro and José to Basilio Argimón’s studio. From this moment, they reconstruct, tell and play with the puppets they find there. Music, color, laughter and tenderness come together to support a message where identity and conviction are at the center.

in the history of Conti Two characters also appear, two friends who spy on Basilio Argimón as he builds a flying machine. In this adaptation, they are two brothers. “José, in fact, the first name of one of the children is the same. And Caro, I took it a bit like a tribute to the history of Álamo Carolina. From the beginning, I knew I wanted to work with two performers, so knowing how to do this combination of two performers, puppets and narration, with this dramaturgy with the story and the scenes that I was writing and editing, the work was produced ” , he said.

Having two performers provides the ability to add more puppets to manipulate. And so the magic happens. Performers and dolls interact and disappear according to the dramaturgy. Sometimes Caro and José coexist on stage with their childhood alter egos, to later become Caro and Josecito, or Caro and José. With that, the director acknowledges the film as an influence Read (1953), in which its protagonist “talks to the puppets as if they were real”.

Then comes a round trip, a superposition of shots, where the characters deploy their talents. “(Alexander) Beagles based on photos of the actor and actress to design the puppets,” continues Fedra Garcia. Research has pointed to this game which, in children and adults, provokes surprise, emotions and laughter.

Finally, as in shows aimed at children, the music plays an important role, with catchy melodies that the actors sing live and which frame a triumphal ending that will unleash the well-deserved applause.

* Basil’s Flight Arrives on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. at the Cultural Center for Cooperation, Av. Corrientes 1543, CABA Functions: until 29 April.

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