Monologue presents how to face the absence of a partner

The National Center for the Arts (Cenart) will celebrate World Theater Day, on March 27, with the premiere in Mexico of Accommodatewritten and directed by French playwright Pascal Rambert and starring Alberto Lomnitz.

The staging adds to the commemorations for the bicentennial of diplomatic relations between Mexico and France, and confirms an artistic exchange that takes shape in an emotionally demanding monologue.

In interview with The DayRambert (Nice, 1962) commented that the work does not seek to be the solitary confession of a man in the face of emptiness, but rather “a conversation held against death.”

In a hotel room, an older writer returns from receiving an award, puts up the portrait of his deceased wife, and begins talking to her.

“It is as if he made it come alive through words. The image stops being an object and functions as an interlocutor; the space becomes a territory where language suspends the absence,” explained the director.

Although the collaboration is Franco-Mexican, the story retains its original setting. Different alternatives were explored, including changing the setting, but Rambert decided to keep it deeply French. The cultural crossing is achieved through the interpreter: body and voice become the meeting point between traditions.

Presence and humor

To entrust such a bare text to Alberto Lomnitz, the playwright relied on the intuition that he has developed in almost four decades of working with artists of various nationalities. From the first rehearsal he perceived presence and humor. “Alberto completely took over the words; he is already the character,” he added.

In France, the work achieved an unexpected intimate resonance. After the performances, numerous spectators approached Rambert to share that they had also lost someone fundamental. “The words you wrote are those that I did not know how to express,” they told him, reminding him how theater can transform the personal into a shared experience.

The text begins with a devastating phrase: “You died a year ago and I no longer have the desire to live,” and tells the story of a couple who shared more than 50 years of life and literature. More than a story about loss, it reconstructs the memory of a sustained bond and raises the inevitable question about how to continue when the other half is no longer there.

Lomnitz stressed that what is reflected on stage dialogues with current Mexican cultural events. “The character shows an unusual vulnerability: someone who loves, remembers and exposes himself without imposture; the performance does not dictate lessons, but invites us to reflect on how to accompany, remain and face absence.”

Presented by Adime Producciones, the Spanish version arrives after an extensive tour in France under the title Ranger and maintains the address of its author.

During yesterday’s press conference, Raúl Uribe, director of artistic programming at Cenart, commented that this is a national premiere of great relevance, made together with one of the great contemporary playwrights.

Producer Jennifer Soler highlighted the solidity of the Mexican creative team, while translator Humberto Pérez, Rambert’s regular collaborator, considered it “a sounding board” that preserves the original musicality and pulse in Spanish. The French director and playwright will also offer an open class on writing and stage direction.

Accommodate It will have a season from March 27 to April 26, except from April 2 to 5, at the Cenart Arts Forum (Río Churubusco 79, Country Club Churubusco neighborhood).