La Chunga

 

Second Skin Theatre’s LA CHUNGA heats up the West End

Second Skin Theatre is proud to announce the return of the UK Premiere of LA CHUNGA, by Mario Vargas Llosa, 2010 Nobel Prize Winner for Literature. This dark and disturbing drama set in 1950s Peru runs from January 24 to February 19 2012 at the Phoenix Artist Club in the West End.

Under Artistic Director Andy McQuade’s powerful direction, this masterful tale of fantasy and delusion finds self-styled ‘superstuds’ whiling away the hours over endless drinking and games of dice at the infamous ‘Chunga’s Bar’. The arrival of the beautiful Meche exposes their innermost desires and dreams until even the impervious bar owner, Chunga herself, falls under the spell of this enigmatic beauty.

In Llosa’s own words LA CHUNGA was written ”to project into dramatic fiction the human totality of actions and dreams, of facts and fantasies.” The Phoenix Artist Club is the perfect subterranean setting for this exploration of morality and sexuality that reveals what occurs deep in the Peruvian underbelly.

“This drama is urgent and addictive” THE STAGE

“A highly charged erotic feast for the senses” FRINGE REVIEW

La Chunga is like nothing in theatre at the moment… some of the best sexual tension and energy I have seen on the fringe” LONDON FRINGE REVIEW

“Second Skin Theatre’s taut production is charged with eroticism and an underlying violent tension, with excellent all round performances… as electric as any you will see on the London stage at present… manages to fuse seamlessly reality and fantasy” PLAYSTOSEE.COM

“The moment Chunga, played in this production by the statuesque Victoria Grove, walked onto the stage I knew I was in love with her … It’s very rare to find such a brave and unique production… searing hot with sexual tension” DIVA MAGAZINE

 

LA CHUNGA CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM 2012

Director: Andy McQuade

Producer: Samuel Julyan

Assistant Directors: Jessica Ruano & Genevieve Girling

Stage Manager: Giovanna Lo Conte

Set Design: Mike Lees

Costume Design: Vasiliki Syrma

Lighting Design:  Anna Sbokou

Set Construction: Richard Sleeman

Lights and Sound Operator:  Luca Romagnoli

Costume Assistant: Vana Karamanou

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Chunga………………..Victoria Grove

Meche………………….Nika Khitrova

Lituma…………………Corin Rhys Jones

El Mono……………….Marco Aponte

José……………………..Tyler Coombes

Josefino……………….Patrick Doherty /
Stephen Connery-Brown

 

LA CHUNGA plays at the Phoenix Artist Club, 1 Phoenix Street off Charing Cross Road, near Leicester Square
January 24th to February 19th, 2012. Tuesday to Thursday evenings at 7:30pm and Sunday matinees at 3pm. Tickets £12.

To purchase tickets, please visit www.ticketweb.co.uk