MIAMI.- The appearances of the Cuban actress Vivian Acosta always arouse, and here it is always valid, great interest among the public where she appears and in the theater community, since she is known for her scenic brilliance and her management of the body and movement, carrying their interpretations to high levels.
Her most recent visit to Miami from New York where she resides was as a guest to close the 5th. Solo Teather Fest, which with her presentation concludes what could be classified as the most complete of all Solo Fests held since the program of stand-up comedy and one-man shows began.
Vivian Acosta performed Elektra, an exceptional scenic work created from texts by Tomás González, and directed by José González, in a performance by the Galiano 108 company.
No one who has seen Vivian Acosta perform is left indifferent. Her way of assuming characters, of unfolding herself, modulating her voice, moving the rhythm of her hips, hands, head and gaze, establish a pattern that can be said to be repeated in almost all shows. However, she has the mastery of converting those movements into a style, into her characteristic features, which identify her as a unique actress. Vivian Acosta constitutes a school by itself.
In this constructionsIntense and disturbing, Electra, Agamemnon and Clytemnestra face Charon who urges them to solve their problems before leading them to the other side; but it can be anyone, since history is full of individuals who must be held accountable.
Vivian Acosta gives us another tour de force, with the teacher to whom the public who follows her is already accustomed. With numerous costume changes, using impressive headdresses, she recounts the episodes that have marked and transcended the world of ancient Greece, and that continue to leave a mark in the present. It is history that repeats itself.
For the proposal she brought to Artefactus’s Solo Teather Fest 2024, both the actress and the director have practically repeated the same staging that they brought to the stage years ago. On this occasion they repeat the costumes and set design of Jorge Noa and Pedro Balmaseda, from Nobarte, who are masters of scenic design and the creation of impressive costumes.
One of Elektra’s successes is the incorporation of African rhythms, sung and danced, as well as well-known boleros and expressions of popular speech. These breaks give energy to the setting.
Without a doubt, Vivian Acosta’s greatness as an actress lies in her totalizing performance, in how she moves around the stage, where her movements establish a school of acting.
Without last, the 5th. The Solo Teather Fest edition has been the most complete of all those held. There was no imbalance. It opened and closed in a big way, with two very festival-like works, The Hunt for the Johnson-Wang, played by Alberto Menndez, at the beginning, and Elektra for the closing with Vivian Acosta. The international guests, from Argentina, Yuna is mewith the actress Marcela Ferrads and from Ecuador, the Casa Toledo company, with the work The Bullfighterperformed by Valentina Quintero, have made this event one of the most interesting festivals that have been presented in Miami in years.
I hope that Eddy Díaz Souza and his Artefactus Cultural Project manage to repeat a theatrical meeting like the one this year in 2024.
