From tomorrow, Friday and until 20 April, the Max Aub Hall of Nave 10 Matadero in Madrid (Paseo de la Chopera, 14) hosts the premiere of Las amargas lágrimas de Petra von Kant (Petra von Kant’s Bitter Tears), by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, in a version and directed by Rakel Camacho.
The classic by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, quintessence of European melodrama, returns to the scene with a renewed proposal that expresses all its plastic potential. This new production is starring Ana Torrent, as the successful fashion designer, Aura Garrido, Celia Freijeiro, Julia Monje and María Luisa San José.
The play tells how Petra von Kant (Ana Torrent), a famous designer who has just separated from her second husband, lives with her secretary, assistant and almost slave Marlene (Julia Monje). When one of her best friends introduces her to Karin (Aura Garrido), a young woman from humble origins, Petra falls madly in love with her and promises to make her an international model. The two women then begin a stormy relationship.
Las amargas lágrimas de Petra von Kant belongs to the most brilliant period of Fassbinder. It was written feverishly by the German playwright and filmmaker during a flight between Berlin and Los Angeles and premiered in 1971. The play, which would become a film the following year, was praised by international critics for its stylized portrayal of romantic disaffection in a purely feminine universe. Fassbinder deploys all his artillery to speak to the viewer of loneliness and domination through a story of sapphic love that grows in ellipses and silences. Tickets can be purchased at this link.