“Miss Margarida’s Way” by Roberto Athayde

“Miss Margarida’s Way” by created by Brazilian author Roberto Athayde, this satirical monologue is a virulent critique of the political follies of South American dictators. You can see it on Wednesday 9 January 2019, 8.30 pm Théâtre Princesse Grace.

The power of the piece, directed by Anne Bouvier, lies in the performance. Stéphanie Bataille expertly combines both banality and regality. With her white shirt, handbag, chalky hand writing on the trapezium-shaped blackboard, she lets fly words like arrows, launching her character on a crusade to wrong-foot her invisible students (us, perhaps, although we are under no obligation to identify with the young people who are the target of Miss Margarida’s pugnacity). Her rhythm is unstoppable, her expression closed yet fused with secret passion. We are great admirers of such actors, with their delicately veiled flamboyance.