Cinema Red

Synopsis

A dingy brothel and table-dancing bar in Mexico City, where dreams and harsh realities collide.

Alondra, a 40-year-old prostitute and table dancer, navigates the gritty underworld of sex work while her life intersects with a cast of equally colourful and desperate characters. Among them are Héctor, a 35-year-old lottery ticket vendor clinging to hope, Sasha, a 70-year-old former table dancer still plying her trade, and The Kid, a 16-year-old usher in a seedy porn cinema.

Edgar Chías’s Backstage is a raw and unflinching exploration of life on society’s margins. Through a series of interconnected, non-linear scenes, Chías peels back the layers of his characters’ lives, exposing their dreams, fears, and the daily struggle for survival and meaning. The play’s structure mirrors the fragmented nature of its characters’ existences, with scenes shifting between the brothel, Alondra’s poignantly decorated room, Héctor’s flat, and the grimy porn cinema. Chías blends dark humour with moments of profound pathos, challenging audiences to confront the humanity in those often overlooked or scorned by society.