Turisme Rural, Teatre Borràs Barcelona Review
Written by Laura for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review.
Turisme rural (rural tourism) narrates the story of an urbanite couple who wants to spend a romantic night out by renting a rural house. The creepy hosts and the isolation from civilization drag our protagonists into unbelievable and unexpected circumstances that will make them question themselves and their relationship.
This was a fun story in which humour and the supernatural blend together to create both lightheartedness and tension. It reminded me a lot of Asmodai, a play that premiered last season, that deals with a comparable situation and has similar imagery. I believe perhaps Asmodai had a deeper message to it than Turisme Rural does, but they are both fun and have their own unique twists.
The actors were the highlight of the show for me. I would like to mention Lluís Villanueva as Pere, especially; he was hilarious, and I could not stop watching him the whole time he was onstage. However, everyone did a terrific job of bringing their characters to life while relying on their more humorous side.
I would have liked the play to have a bit more substance, as I believe there were many plot threads they could have followed to make it more interesting and deep. The story, although entertaining, was not very original either. However, I do believe the creators were aiming for simplicity in this case, and that was done on purpose.
I feel like casual theatre-goers will really enjoy watching this, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun time.
You can catch Turisme rural at Teatre Borràs until January 12th.
★★★