Review: Catarina and the Beauty of Killing Fascists (Dorfman Theatre)

Review by Daz Gale

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Less than two weeks ago, I headed to National Theatre's Dorfman Theatre to watch Indhu Rubasingham and Kate Varah announce programming for their second season, with many reasons to plan repeat visits across their three stages on London's Southbank over the next year. However, they are not done with their first season just yet, and there is a particularly interesting and provocative show pitching up on the Dorfman stage for one week only, as Catarina and the Beauty of Killing Fascists receives its UK premiere. Chances are the title alone will have piqued your interest, evoking an extreme reaction in one way or another. It comes as no surprise then that the play does exactly the same thing.

Set in South Portugal in 2028, Catarina and the Beauty of Killing Fascists takes place over the course of one day as a family is gathered to fulfil their tradition. After a woman is murdered several generations before, the family has taken it upon themselves to kill a fascist every year. It is a rite of passage, and has become an event just like a birthday or a festive celebration (It even has its own song). This time is the turn of Catarina who, at the age of 26, is about to kill her first fascist. The only trouble? She refuses to call their hostage. What follows is a two-sided argument about the place of violence in a changing world, how we interpret the messages of the past, the price of democracy and if two wrongs ever can make a right.

Written and directed by Portuguese playwright, Tiago Rodrigues, Catarina and the Beauty of Killing Fascists is presented entirely in Portuguese with English surtitles (though very minor quibble - several typos and incorrect words hadn’t been caught). The play also runs at two hours and thirty minutes without an interval, so it makes for a rather taxing watch. It is all part of the intent, however, to make the climax even more evocative (more on that shortly). While I did have slight trepidation about the runtime, one thing about this play is it was never boring, and time flew surprisingly fast.

Rodrigues’ writing is fascinating for the harsh and unfiltered way it presents the scenario. The word provocative really is the best way to describe it, as the play deliberately tries to cause a response from the audience. Starting fairly inoffensively as the gathered family argue about the meal being presented and whether it competes with their late mother’s, the first sign of disagreement and debate within the family comes with the argument about veganism, in a fairly comedic way. Once Catarina emerges, the severity of the situation becomes apparent, and the tone starts to veer from lighter moments to much darker ones. The themes in the story are about as big as you can get, with morality, family loyalty, standing up for what you believe in and the rise of fascism all prominent features. The play premiered in 2020 but is set in 2028, allowing to fictionalise some of the extremities that may arise in the immediate future. What is particularly terrifying is that we are seeing old habits return with certain world leaders retracting people’s rights, allowing for a sobering watch that, at its best, proves powerful and thought-provoking.

Rodrigues' direction also proves compelling, particularly when it comes to the inclusion of movement (with choreography from Sofia Dias and Vitor Roriz) with the family moving in unison at times, creating a stylish watch that acts as a juxtaposition to the starkness of the set (exquisitely designed by F. Ribeiro) and darkness of the story. The way the set is moved around to open up Catarina’s family home is cleverly done, with no shortage of creativity to be found in this production, especially when it comes to the cast creating sounds such as replicating ringing phones or a pleasing moment when they recreate swallows.

I always endeavour to avoid spoilers in reviews, but it would be impossible to talk about this next bit without spoiling the climax of the show. If you would prefer not to know, skip to the next paragraph. If not, you have been warned.

There is a distinct and decidedly divisive ending to Catarina and the Beauty of Killing Fascists that, while bold in its approach, somewhat let it down. With the hostage alive and free to spout his fascism, he delivers an exhausting monologue that takes up the bulk of the last 30 minutes. There he spouts about reclaiming his country, taking turns to annihilate anyone that doesn’t fit his ideology of what it means to be “Portuguese”, effectively rendering anyone of other ethnicities and homosexuals as the enemy. It is an infuriating speech, but it is very much designed to rile the audience up. In a Trumpian world, it roots you back into reality, removing the escapism of the piece. While the idea is to make the audience leave the theatre with things to think about, it just made me angry… as it very clearly did many others in the audience.

With the seemingly never-ending speech going on for far too long, people grew restless and began heckling and talking to each other. I even spotted at least one person walking out, with the cast deliberately looking at whoever was leaving. Bold, strong and visceral maybe, but I would argue this was poorly executed as rather than leave in awe of what we had seen, the audience had checked out long before it came to its unsatisfying conclusion. I understand exactly why this choice was made and, while admittedly this isn’t a play you expect to be resolved with a neat bow, it was drastically weaker than the rest of the material. Where the show had been flirting with five stars in my mind prior to this conclusion, the final thirty minutes left me leaving the theatre not having a clue how to review or rate it.

It is Romeu Costa who delivers that exhausting monologue, and it should be noted just how demanding it is and the powerful way he becomes such a deplorable character with those words. The whole cast equally impress in characters that are all known as “Catarina”. The lead and effectively titular Catarina is wonderfully played by Beatriz Maia, who beautifully weighs up the moral dilemma placed in front of her in a well-rounded, sympathetic and authentic characterisation. Another standout is Isabel Abreu as her mother who also gets the opportunity to deliver a powerful speech as the play roars to its divisive climax. It is in this thankfully shorter and significantly more effective speech that the greatest feat of acting in the entire performance is presented, with Abreu delivering an outstanding turn.

There is a quiet and wonderfully understated presence to Marco Mendonça’s character, acting as a contrast to the brilliantly exaggerated and largely comedic  characterisation from António Fonseca, made all the more riveting from the sense of tragedy lurking underneath. The cast is completed by António Parra, Carolina Passos Sousa and João Vicente, all in turn delivering solid performances that include the balance of light and darkness necessary for the landing of the message.

Catarina and the Beauty of Killing Fascists is a play unlike any other, and a great example of the fierce and diverse voices that the National Theatre is aiming to be a home for over the next year. Their ambition is to bring the world to the National Theatre, and this is a great start. The play is certainly compelling but I come back once again to the word provocative. If you like theatre that provokes an extreme reaction, you are going to love this play. However, if you go to the theatre to “love” a show, I can’t guarantee you are going to love this. Did I love it personally? That I can’t say, in all certainty. What I can say is I truly appreciated its artistry and the message even if I didn’t always agree with every artistic choice in how to convey said message. If theatre at its best has the power to make you think and feel, Catarina… is the perfect example of this. Whether you loved it, hated it or were even indifferent to it, I guarantee nobody will be leaving the theatre without thinking about what they have just seen, challenging their own beliefs, and presumably talking about it to others. While this play may not quite have successfully killed as I had hoped and it led to what was an often uncomfortable watch, there was still true beauty to be found amongst the more undesirable moments.

Catarina and the Beauty of Killing Fascists plays at the Dorfman Theatre until 26th September. Tickets from https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/catarina-and-the-beauty-of-killing-fascists/

Production photos depict 2023 and 2025 runs