The eponymous couple have been together for many years, and their tolerance of each other's behaviour has eroded over time. He gets irritated when she plays her cello while he tries to write hates the sound of his typewriter as she tries to play. When their son comes to visit he gets caught up in the middle of the storm, literally pulled both ways.
But when Dorine is diagnosed with dementia their world changes. In a series of flashbacks we see André recall how their younger selves first met, got married, were deeply in love, his ongoing irritations now tempered by his memories.
That outline only hints at the deeply emotional story that unfolds on stage. Wordless and faceless, 3 actors (Jose Dault, Garbine Insausti and Edu Carcamo) portray 11 characters using exaggerated masks and wigs, minor costume changes, and the power of body language. There is never any doubt about who's who, or what their reactions to events are. This physical theatre provides many moments of brilliant comedy, through to genuine pathos. There is a dance sequence towards the end that moved me to tears of emotion and will stay with me for some time to come. André and Dorine is a celebration of real-world love.
Madrid's KULUNKA Teatro have produced a truly beautiful theatrical performance that shouldn't be missed, and seems destined to become my outstanding memory of the 2023 Fringe.
André and Dorine is on in the Assembly Rooms until 20th August.
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