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1963 Tango Palace
First Published: Playwrights For Tomorrow, Vol.2, (University of Minnisota, 1966).
Synopsis
Leopold, 'an earnest youth', emerges from a sack into the ostentatiously padlocked room of Isidore, 'an androgynous clown', who leaves his shrine to meet Leopold. Isidore's room is furnished with curious and antique objects, perhaps representative of bourgeois taste, a possible utopian world. Isidore attempts to choreograph Leopold's every move, asserting that his is the lone authoritative voice to be absorbed as he instructs Leopold about the objects whilst reading his script from cards which Isidore then casts aside. Leopold rejects the humiliation and powerlessness of being co-opted into the culture laid out for his meek acceptance. Instead, he insists upon taking the radical path, rejecting authority's correctness to commit himself to freedom of thought by following his inner voice, learning through his own efforts. Characterised by playfulness and vaudevillian humour, the characters are engaged in a power struggle as Isidore, the matador, manipulates Leopold into taking up the role of the bull as he invites Leopold to die for truth. Amongst pleasure, pain, love and hate their sado-masochistic struggle moves towards Isidore's death. His death is creative, potentially liberating as Isidore appears as an angel, an angel with its back to the future, looking over history to beckon Leopold forward to resume the battle.
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To read Fornes' own comments see her 'Preface to Tango Palace & The Successful Life of 3' in The Theatre of Maria Irene Fornes, ed. Marc Robinson. See Publications
Originally named There! You Died! when it premiered 29th November under the direction of Herbert Blau with the Actors Workshop, at the Encore Theatre in San Francisco.
Set and Costume Design by Judith Davis,
Lighting Design by Dan Dugan.
Cast: Isidore - Robert Benson, Leopold - Dan Sullivan.
Fornes dedicated this 'To the memory of my father Carlos Fornes 1891-1945', in Maria Irene Fornes, Plays, pp.69-88, p.69. See Publications for further information.
Tango Palace was eventually directed by Fornes a decade later at the Theatre Genesis, NYC. |
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