Love’s Concordia Bar

 Love’s Concordia Bar
Theater Company Della Luna
The Flea
April 16, 2025 

Photo courtesy of Theater Company Della Luna

When you enter the theater for Love’s Concordia Bar, the cast is milling around the space, introducing themselves, chatting and stirring up trouble.  The mood is magical and enthusiastic, full of wonder and mirth.  The ninety-minute performance blasts off from there, yet holds a few deep, dark revelations.  This Theater Company Della Luna production played at the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.  It is now at The Flea for a limited run.

Pragma (played by Ariana Pérez), in full disguise, pushes her way into Love’s Concordia Bar.  She is stopped at the door by Eros (played by Edoardo Tesio), who informs her that the Concordia Bar is owned by Love.  In order to enter, you must be in love.  Pragma explains that she is in search of her girlfriend, Ludus (played by Mia Pelosi), who she believes is cheating on her.  Eros feels that this jealousy is evidence of her love, so allows Pragma to enter.  She is unaware of the journey of love and heartbreak that is ahead for her. 

Photo courtesy of Theater Company Della Luna

The characters Pragma run into at the bar are all ensnared in love.  The passion between Philia (played by Soraya Omtzigt) and Storge (played by Cameron Tino) is electric.  Mania & Fisima (played by Essence Blake) were so deeply in love, that Love allowed them to merge into one body.  Cindy (played by Annelise Brooks Laakko) is enchantingly in love with her prince charming, while secretly carrying on with Harmonia (played by Olivia Altair).  Agave (played by Matthew Ramos) is eight years old and eagerly in search of his first true love.  Liriope (played by Tomoka Takahashi) conducts interviews with all of them, gathering data about what it is to be in love.  Eros hands out personal letters from Love to each of them, warning them to read the letters in private.

When Agape frantically runs out of the bar in search of true love, the mood shifts.  It becomes clear that this place is an isolated haven.  There might be a specific criteria to enter, but exiting is definitely taboo.  It is not until later, when Agape returns, aged and jaded, that we gain an insight into the strict power Love holds over this confined crowd.  

Edoardo Tesio & Olivia Altair
Photo courtesy of Theater Company Della Luna

The full cast, under the direction of Edoardo Tesio, does an amazing job creating a mysterious and magical environment.  They each embody unique, complete, larger than life characters.  The music, composed by Olivia Altair, and choreography, by Bridget Spencer, set a limitless boundary within the restricted walls of this fantastical place.  The characters intertwine.  The emotions run raw.  The excitement is consistently high.

Keep an eye on this company.  They are a true ensemble of artists.  They perform with selfless ownership of the material, and skillfully blend with genuine passion.  Playwright Marjorie Murillo shared that the script, written by her and Edoardo Tesio, came from group discussions about relationship experiences and their perspectives on the meaning of love.  The letters handed out during the action of the show were the impetus they used to build each of the characters.  

Love’s Concordia Bar is playing at The Flea through April 19.  It is a uniquely wild experience. 

Domenick Danza