The Return: a Review

  This past weekend I had the rare honour of watching the growth of a play.  Local British theatre company, Legal Aliens, presented the world premier of the English-Language version of Sergio Pierattini's The Return (il Ritorno) as part of the Camden Fringe Festival 2012. The Italian version won the Italian Critic's Award for Best Play in 2008. Ably and carefully translated by Matthew Morrison and Sabrina Cammarata, the English version maintains moments in Italian, when characters are off stage, creating the sense that the play is, in fact, in Italian but we as spectators have translated it in our minds while the actors are on stage.
       As for the ensemble, a compact and dynamic group of four actors carry the narrative of a young woman's return from prison.  Showcasing the often dysfunctional and deeply affected family dynamic, Jean Paul Dal Monte as father, Lara Parmiani as mother, Federico Zanni as the brother, and Anna Pepe as the young woman, develop a focused tension that can only result from the unwavering dedication and commitment that this ensemble clearly demonstrates on stage. Zanni's brother figure is at once confused and outraged and he traverses the line between questioning and condemnation almost as manically as his mother who, in her turn, oscillates between coddling her daughter and venting her frustrations on to the rest of her family.  Both Zanni and Parmiani carry the extremes of their roles with dynamism and finesse allowing for Dal Monte and Pepe's subtler and more quiet characters.  Pepe as the guilt ridden and worn-out daughter serves as the unifier of the play, allowing for five separate scenes that reveal how each of her family members has been coping with the fall-out of her choices, the nature of which are revealed slowly through the course of the play.  Pepe's woman is at once guilty and indignant, still able to judge those around her while being crushed under the weight of her choices.  The deepest cut is perhaps with Dal Monte's father who, aside from carrying guilt from his younger days, has embodied the guilt of his daughter's fate to such an extent that he begins to withdraw.  Dal Monte's character is delicate and complex, one feels inclined to lean in as he speaks so as not to miss a word. 

  It is deeply important for me to stress that, while comprised of individually talented and creative actors, it is the strength of the ensemble that is to be lauded here.  The ensemble has dedicated such time and care to the development of this family that they equally riff and bounce off one another creating a world that the spectator feels is truly in front of them.

  Director Becka McFadden has also included some subtle touches that provide cohesion and context.  Each of the five scenes is separated by a song and slideshow foreshadowing the character that is about to reveal themselves.  As the show touches on themes of communism, black market labour, racism, generational gaps, and gender divisions, the slides provide us with visual cues as to how these characters may exist outside of the stark environment in which we view them.  McFadden has understood the true magic of the theatre which is to provide a series of threads from which the spectators can weave their own material.  The set itself is stark, merely a collection of chairs on stage depending on the number of characters in the scene, and those who are not in the given scene remain on stage, seated on a bench to the side.  The sole set piece is a glow in the dark crucifix that hangs from the black curtain at the back of the stage and is illuminated as the slides run through.  
       The Return is simple, clean, and intense.  In the focus on this specific family, through their idiosyncrasies, one begins to recognize dynamics that exist in many families.  Without gimmicks, this show takes the spectator on an emotional journey of guilt, resilience, and the unforeseen consequences of life choices.  If you hear that this play is on, I highly recommend you go! You will not be disappointed.