Review: Tom at the Farm at Cena Brazil International - Ed Fringe

In Portuguese with English surtitles

Review by Kate Gaul

“Tom at the Farm” travels to Edinburgh Fringe from Brazil.  It is an adaptation of a work that has appeared a play “Tom à la Ferme” by French Canadian Michel Marc Bouchard.

In a world unravelling under the weight of macho strongmen and repressive systems, “Tom at the Farm” is a raw, gripping confrontation with the violence of patriarchy and the crisis of masculinity. A grieving lover arrives at the remote farm of his dead lover’s family and discovers silence, denial and a brutal demand to lie. In the mud and blood of the farm – a symbol of family, Church and land – truth becomes dangerous. This is theatre as reckoning. Seductive, volatile, fiercely political, a howl from the margins in a world desperate to silence them. Unforgettable. Sublime theatre.

Brazilian actor Armando Babaioff, deeply affected by the line "homosexuals learn to lie before they learn to love" from Bouchard’s original work, initiated this adaptation. In a country tragically marked by high rates of LGBTQ+ violence, Babaioff compellingly brings the story to a wider audience, stripping away regional specificities to create a universally resonant narrative. 

Director Rodrigo Portella’s stripped-back, mud-laden stage (designed by Aurora dos Campos) amplifies the raw emotion, creating a haunting and urgent production. Bouchard himself praised it as "one of the most beautiful and powerful productions of my play." As the audience settle a woman and man unfold a large dark plastic floor cover.  It is marked with dry clay, and dust.  Around the edge of the stage sit black buckets of what we learn are full of water or wet clay. A single light bulb illuminates an opening monologue. 

This is Tom. Tom (Armando Babaioff), an urban advertising executive, confronts a brutal reality: his lover’s mother is unaware of her son’s identity, and his savage brother is determined to keep it that secret buried. The simplicity of the elements onstage are complimented by the elegance of the lighting (Tomás Ribas).  When the stage is finally illuminated, we see even rows of the humble par cans bathing the stage in a golden light. Floor lamps change our perspective from time to time and graves; rooms and beds are given shape by shuttered stage lights.

What unfolds is a tense psychological thriller where patriarchy, sensuality, desire, and the dangerous pursuit of truth collide. The utter simplicity of four actors on a large stage with a powerful story and the refined aesthetic create a frightening portrait of humanity.  This is an extraordinary 130 minutes in the theatre and a privileged to have witnessed such grace.

From the company blurb:“More than just a drama about homophobia, “Tom at the Farm” explores themes of systemic control and repression, with the farm serving as a potent symbol of intolerance. Amidst a global rise in populism and political instability, its themes resonate more powerfully than ever. Backed by Brazil’s Ministry of Culture, this production also stands as a significant cultural and political statement, marking a clear departure from the previous administration’s rhetoric and reaffirming Brazil's return to the global cultural stage.”

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