Written by Andrew Bovell. Directed by Neil Armfield
Risky theatre pays off in a tale that translates in more ways than one to the Australian stage
Reviewed by Andrea Bunjamin
Belvoir Street Theatre, Surry Hills
Until 23 March 2025
Tickets:https://belvoir.com.au/productions/song-of-first-desire/
Type: Family Drama, Political History, Generational Stories
If You Liked: Stolen, When The Rain Stops Falling, Counting and Cracking
A disheveled elderly woman stands in the middle of a neglected garden, struggling to remember a poem. She lived through a time in her country’s history that many have chosen to forget the sins of the past. But with it, comes the price of immeasurable sorrow and pain inherited by their future generations.
Song of First Desire (Canción del Primer Deseo) is a Spanish-play written by Australian writer, Andrew Bovell that centres around the themes of generational trauma, the scars of silence, and reconciliation. The genesis behind the play came from Bovell’s long-standing relationship with Numero Uno Collective, a theatre company in Madrid that had produced several of his past works. Through this collaboration he set out to write a story about the wounds left behind after the Spanish Civil War and the legacy of the fascist Franco period. After a translated iteration by Jorge Muriel, who is also a performer in the play, it premiered first in Madrid before making its way to our very own Belvoir Street Theatre.
IIt follows the fractured Torres family set between 1968 and the present-day, where a cast of four actors each alternate between two characters from the different time periods. The story begins with the arrival of Colombian immigrant, Alejandro who was hired as a caregiver to Luis’ and Julia’s ailing mother, Camelia.
In this, the state of the Torres household aptly reflects its inhabitants. Julia, a sarcastic and bitter woman played by Kerry Fox, has been disappointed by life. A sentiment she actively throws at her gay twin brother, Luis (played by Muriel), a school teacher and former poet who longs for love. Borja Maestre, another original cast member from Madrid, brings a level of compassion and mystery into his role as Alejandro. A character who grapples with his family’s identity in Spain as a migrant.
As Sarah Peirse’s Camelia loses her grip of reality, she becomes our gateway to the past and present. In 1968, we are transported to the eve of her wedding where a series of revelations begin to unfurl.
To depict these specific themes of memory and loss for Australian audiences is no easy feat. Neil Armfield’s direction approaches the story with authenticity and humour that’s timely for each scene. The play’s depiction of violence and trauma towards women, during these tumultuous periods is a particular standout to Bovell’s writing. He warns us of the internal conflicts we face if our histories and mistakes are not addressed.
The one thing Australian audiences could relate to in this play is how the two countries share the same tendencies in forgetting the past.
With that being said, Song of First Desire is a production that most definitely takes risks. Its reception in Madrid sparked great debate in how the public talks about the impacts of Dos Espanas (Two Spains). With that level of historical context already in play it can be a difficult show to fully encapsulate if you were to go in blind as an Australian audience member. The environment of tyranny and fear of prosecution in 1960s Spain was thoroughly established as narrative stakes in the writing, but could have fleshed out the ideological tensions of that era more.
We see this mostly between Margarita and Carmen, two women from opposing political sides who share the same goal in protecting their children. The incorporation of monologues during climactic moments heightened the emotional weight in the scenes as a pathway into a character’s mind. The absence of this during the play’s exposition was felt and could have bridged the gap between an Australian audiences’ understanding of the context in which Bovell writes.
The one thing Australian audiences could relate to in this play is how the two countries share the same tendencies in forgetting the past. This repression lies underneath the action, speaking to how it could counterintuitively impede our drive for change as a nation, particularly our understanding of our First Nations history.
A poem that Camelia attempts to recite is by Federico GarcÃa Lorca, a renowned writer who was assassinated by Nationalist forces at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. Sharing this play’s title, Song of First Desire expresses the desire and longing for love, the need to be free and to be ourselves.
Theatre Thought: What are some of the steps we can take when writing a story about a different culture’s history in the sameway Bovell does?
CAST
Kerry Fox – Julia/Carmen
Borja Maestre – Alejandro/Juan
Jorge Muriel – Carlos/Luis
Sarah Peirse – Camelia/Margarita
CREATIVES
Writer – Andrew Bovell
Director – Neil Armfield
Set and Costume Designer – Mel Page
Lighting Designer – Morgan Moroney
Composer/Sound Designer – Clemence Williams
Associate Sound Designer – Madeleine Picard
Movement and Intimacy Director – Nigel Poulton
Voice Coach – Laura Farrell
Stage Manager – Luke McGettigan
Assistant Stage Manager – Jen Jackson
