Writer: Luis Fernández Ruz
Director: Monica Cox
Sometimes the best way to understand the troubles of your life is by processing the sadness of others. What better way to do this than through theatrical endeavour?
In Ripped at the Seams, an actor attempts to inhabit the life of a seamstress named Rosa in post-war Spain as a final resort to continue in the arts. Written by Luis Fernández Ruz and directed by Monica Cox, this bilingual two-hander delves into one woman’s sad life so that the audience may be all the better for knowing her story.
The play begins with much stalling by the lead actor Paula Rodríguez, who reluctantly begins the play by directly addressing the audience in order to let them know her intentions for telling the story of Rosa. The seamstress in question is initially portrayed by actor Maite Jauregui, who enters sewing in period attire. But expectations are quickly subverted when Jauregui calls out Rodríguez for coopting Rosa’s story for her own art, raising certain difficult questions: when is it okay to tell someone else’s story?
The only way this can be reconciled is for Rodríguez to portray Rosa for the rest of the piece. We delve into this seamstress’ desire to break into the world of early Hollywood, as many films were shot on location in Spain at the time. But Rosa is often rebutted by both her husband and father, relegating her to her sewing work. Her dreams are left unfulfilled.
Apart from the numerous instances of breaking the fourth wall which thin out over the course of the play, the height of humour in this poignant piece is the way the two actors take on the roles of the male figures. Although Rosa’s husband and father are not portrayed on stage, both actors adopt framed photographs placed over their faces to comically take on these roles: most notably with how her husband’s likeness to famous film star Paul Newman is taken quite literally.
With the stage consisting of table, chairs and an array of sewing implements, the space is kept sparse. The major change occurs when the plain, white backdrop sheet is replaced halfway through by a torn one, marred by a hasty attempt to mend the wounds with red thread.
More could have been done to weave the symbolism of stitching and sewing into the fabric of the play, both within the stagecraft and story structure. As well, the actors’ embodiment of these characters only really hits its stride halfway through the piece, with much of the elongated set-up languishing without a clear drive from the beginning.
Ripped at the Seams skillfully portrays a tale of a woman caught in patriarchal oppression while mirroring that of the theatre-maker’s own entrapment within the pressures of the act of creating. Although some opportunities for a more cohesively strong piece are missed, the play leaves the audience with a clear message: follow your dreams before it becomes too late.
Reviewed on 9 October 2023