“Soldier” sex for Napoleon: A play in Barcelona imagines an unusual manual scene in the bathtub with his romper | Culture

When Ridley Scott surprises the audience in his latest film, the play, with the way he shows Napoleon having sex with Josephine The Bonapartes, which premiered on Friday at the Akadèmia Theater in Barcelona, ​​is not far behind when it comes to capturing the French emperor’s erotic outpourings. In the show, a montage by Sílvia Munt about the work of her husband, actor and playwright Ramon Madaula, Napoleon sits in a bathtub and his faithful romper Rustam (a historical figure who acted as his bodyguard, servant and man for all of his Expedition to Egypt) is washing and massaging him when, to the astonishment and consolation (also) of the audience, he casually blurts out: “Shall I call a courtesan or give you a hand job, sire?” To which Napoleon replies bluntly: “Better a hand job, then Courtesans take up a lot of time.” And there’s the trusty romper. As a historical image it is priceless.

The scene, which is more reminiscent of Torrente than Emil Ludwig, includes the rolling of drums as a soundtrack in addition to the splashing and Napoleon’s warm memory of a robust Spanish peasant woman. “Napoleon, the world is yours,” Rustam murmurs as he completes the manual exercise. “Ah, not yet,” the emperor replies complexly in his moist Austerlitz.

The one and a half hour and very entertaining show (the audience laughs heartily) recreates with great imagination the meeting of Napoleon with his older brother Joseph, the King of Spain and the King of Spain, on November 5, 1808 in a hamlet in Vitoria to India fled Madrid at the outbreak of the War of Independence. The emperor, who comes with his troops to restore order, summons him privately instead of the planned official meeting and José (David Bagés) arrives at the house where his brother lives in a very bad mood due to the change. Napoleon (Pau Roca) takes a bath (we saw him take off the iconic grenadier officer’s uniform) and, after the scene with Rustam (Oriol Ginart), comes out of the bathtub half-dressed and wearing such a ridiculous pair of underwear. Long Lee Marvin types The Legend of the Nameless City all representation. Whether intentional or not, the garment reveals her imperial ass. José arrives hot and overwhelmed and readily agrees to take a bath himself. The two brothers argue bitterly about the situation in Spain, so great cheat (“Spain is making me boil!” exclaims Napoleon) as Rustam tries to be as helpful to Joseph in the bathtub as Napoleon, worrying the King of Spain and enormously amusing the audience. Napoleon encourages him by justifying manual sex as “more hygienic” than that of the prostitutes in the camps and as a “soldier’s thing”.

Rustam, portrayed as an abused, skeptical, dissatisfied, resentful and seemingly submissive servant (the historical figure eventually betrayed his master and was rejected by him), delivers a very effective comedy, like Buster Keaton or Marty Feldman Young Frankenstein consisting of sharp answers, looks and eloquent silence. In some moments he goes too far and goes a bit on his own, but he serves as a popular and repressed counterpoint to the two powerful brothers and their selfish vision of the world. The show feminizes him somewhat (into a romper, elite cavalry of the Imperial Guard!) to highlight his exploited quality.

The best of the show is David Bagès’ sensitive José, overwhelmed by the Spanish crisis and subjugated to his powerful and manipulative younger brother, who on the one hand demands that he rise to the occasion but on the other ignores him because he considers the throne too big for him him. The show’s José is comically desolate (“I’m the most hated king in history,” “Then shoot some more!” his brother snaps; “They call me Pepe Botella!”). Bagés recreates himself in a variety of effective gestures of sadness, grief and helplessness.

Political, dynastic (very recent comments on the Bourbons) and military considerations (the description of the defeat of Bailén is very interesting) mix with Corsican and youthful nostalgia and, above all, with the theme of family. We witness the reckoning between “Napoleone” and “Giuseppe” and an exchange of personal reproaches between them, both stripped of their dignity and their clothes. These are accusations that resonate with anyone who has siblings. In fact, Madaula, the author, in addition to her interest in history, also has a real obsession with family brawls.

As Rustam serves them potatoes with chorizo, José sinks into melancholy and memories, while Napoleon, after a moment of weakness, sinks into his pride and vanity (“I am the best thinking mind and the best sword in Europe”). “Do you know?” why I became emperor? Because without me the world would be worse”). The work ultimately highlights the conflict between José’s “sentimentalism” (“I will not return to Madrid until you tell me that you love me,” he says to the Emperor) and Napoleon’s practical and with a determined look all eagles and cannons and Rustam lands on the older brother’s side (“cheesy!” blurts out the great Bonaparte, who cannot believe that high politics and raison d’état are in disarray in this emotional Waterloo ).

The show is effective and well resolved. Madaula shows good knowledge of the subject and undoubtedly had a lot of fun writing the piece (from what we saw). Sílvia Munt staged it with elegant sobriety, trusting the text and the actors, the omnipresent bathtub and some audiovisual effects. The work is scheduled to premiere in Madrid in Spanish. It is currently on view at the Akadèmia until January 14th. A good opportunity to round off this Napoleonic season.