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Published: 26 January, 2012
by RUSSELL PARTON

The bohemian, alcohol-fuelled atmosphere of the Phoenix Artist Club is the perfect venue for Mario Vargas Llosa’s mysterious tale of unvoiced desires and debauched dealings.

La Chunga is the tough-talking proprietress of a bar in the outskirts of Piura, a city in Peru, regularly frequented by four men.

One night, amid drinking, gambling and lewd jokes, we learn of a time in the past when one of the men, Josefino, a hard-hearted and ruthless pimp, arrived at La Chunga’s bar accompanied by his beautiful and besotted girlfriend, Meche.

After losing heavily at dice, he put her love to the test, selling her for one night to La Chunga in exchange for money to stay in the game.

Meche was never heard of again, but each character has a different theory or fantasy about her disappearance.

The play enacts their speculations, blurring what really happened with flights of the imagination while revealing hidden truths about each character.

With past, present and fantasy all represented at the same time, there’s a real potential for confusion, but some clever staging ensures the production confounds no more than the play intends to.

The set is sparse, divided into three overlapping areas with the cast remaining on stage throughout, reinforcing the idea that much of the action
exists in the characters’ minds.

Patrick W Doherty inspires our loathing as the unscrupulous and misogynistic Josefino.

Meanwhile, Victoria Grove impresses as the imperious La Chunga, a character whose secret passions and determination not to “lose the battle” in a society where women are easily bought and sold might make her the true mystery of the play.

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