“What I did, and it’s my favorite kind of adaptations when I really love the original object, [was] try to stay true to the themes and the structure of arcs that the book has,” stated Alice Azevedo to the press after a rehearsal of the play, acknowledging that she was not “religiously faithful to the narrative, nor to the details, nor to the characters,” but rather to the themes.
Published in 1818 by British author Mary Shelley (1797-1851), the book, which would later inspire several theatrical and cinematic productions, combined horror and the supernatural, ultimately contributing to the creation of horror literature and also foreshadowing that of science fiction.
The narrative of the work centers on an ambitious scientist named Victor Frankenstein, who devoted himself to studying how to bring a creature formed from parts of human cadavers to life.
The scientist succeeds in bringing to life a massive being, which responds to electrical impulses, initially being delighted by the discovery only to realize soon after what he had actually created, as his creation escapes from the laboratory and eventually confronts its creator in revolt.
The play that Alice Azevedo stages at S. Luiz, following a version with some differences premiered at this year’s Citemor edition, turns out to be a manifesto in favor of the trans movement, of which the artist and activist is a part.
An idea she said to journalists was not originally hers, attributing it to the text “My Words to Victor Frankenstein above the Village of Chamounix — Performing Transgender Rage,” written in 1994 by American scholar Susan Stryker.
The text, “performing trans rage,” was also presented by the author in a conference to “explore the idea of a transsexual or a transsexuality that speaks to its creators,” noted Alice Azevedo.
“Be it to society, which creates an image of her as a monster, or to medicine, which, on one hand, creates the tools that trans people use in specific trans healthcare while on the other hand also controls and denies subjectivity and agency in this medicalized process,” added Alice Azevedo about the show where she says she “did not invent anything.”
The highlight of the piece comes with a manifesto in which characters display pride for being who they are, as they are, where taboos that society attaches and imposes on them are also mentioned.
The play, where themes are treated seriously but also with humor, deconstructing myths and with a lot of music, does not end with the manifesto, as Alice Azevedo likes, just like Mary Shelley, “prologues and epilogues.”
When questioned about whether it is excessive to equate trans women with monsters, Alice Azevedo admitted she “would like to believe that many people would be shocked to hear trans women compared to monstrous figures.”
“But unfortunately, I think many people would not be shocked. I think that this monstrous burden, whether on trans people or other social categories of people, is a burden that is imposed, that is created, they are narratives that are disseminated and fed, and from our side, all we can do is run from them, usually without much escape, or face them,” she emphasized.
Alice Azevedo also highlighted the timely relevance of the play, at a time when far-right discourses are gaining a voice, with all that entails, she concluded.
“Prometo-me moderna” is on stage at the Luis Miguel Cintra hall until the 21st, with performances from Wednesday to Saturday at 20:00, and on Sunday at 17:30.
With text and staging by Alice Azevedo, the play is supported in creation and movement by Bruno Huca and features performances by Alice Azevedo, June João, Lila Vivo, Stela, and Vítor Silva Costa.
The lighting design is by Manuel Abrantes, the set by Daniela Cardante, the sound design by Surma, the costumes by Behén, while the sound operation and design are by Guilherme Gonçalves.
“The São Luiz Theatre informs that the General Strike scheduled for December 11 could affect some services and may lead to changes and/or cancellations of shows,” reads the theatre’s website, advising the public to regularly check the site and social media for updates.
