THE RED DRESS
The Red Dress is a charming and intimate portrait of my mother, splashed with sequins and moments of cumbia, as it addresses migration and gender.
In the dark we hear a male voice singing a capella
My name is la Cumbia, I am the Queen everywhere I go
There’s no pair of hips that won’t start to sway either fast or slow
And my skin is dark like the leather membrane outside my drum
and my shoulders are a pair of maracas kissed by the sun.
As the lights come on we see an empty chair upstage left. Alejandro stands on what seems a red fabric wearing classic white underpants downstage right. There is silence.
* * *
First Part
My name is Alejandro De Mesa Palau, but here in England it’s just Alejandro De Mesa. They cut the last bit off because it is too long. They don’t realise it is my mother’s maiden name, because where I come from, we put it after out father’s surname you see. For me it's important because I am an only child brought up in a mono parental family –yes, I mean, it was just me and my mother in a small town in Colombia called Cali.
My mum worked hard during the week as a tourist agent, but during the weekends she loved throwing parties. On Saturday morning we would wake up early to go shopping and buy the flowers to decorate the house, and buy the food whichher and Clarisa, the maid, would cook for the guests. And the booze, of course.
Amalia would always be the first one to arrive. She was my mum’s best friend at the time and would always be the first one to arrive to give an update of who would be coming to the party and to make sure she grabbed the best bits of food.
I would welcome the guests as they arrived and sat in the living room which was painted in green stucco matching the furniture, the drapes, and the fake Tiffany’s stained glass lamp which created a warm atmosphere.
I was allowed to stay only for the first part of the evening and thenmy mother would give me the unmistakeable look with which I would immediately be dismissed to my room upstairs. But I would leave the door ajar and listen to the laughs and the music coming from the party.
What I was really waiting was for my mum to come upstairs. As soon as I heard her go into her room, I would position myself behind the door to see her come out wearing The Red Dress, a long evening gown covered with sequence and spangles in the chest and the shoulders. I could see her standing at the top of the stairs making the last adjustments before going down again.
-Amalia, la cinco!-my mum would scream from the top of the stairs, and track 5 would start playing as she made her way down the stairs and into the living room, dancing, swinging from one side to another and occasionally kicking the frail of the dress, as she liberated explosive guttural impulses of joy and moved her hips, her arms and winked at the guests. When the song came to an end, my mum would disappear (into her room) until the next morning.
* * *
Second Part
I went to visit my mum right before moving to London to push forward my acting career. I remember I found this amazing black leather jacket in a charity shop, like the ones all the famous actors had: James Dean, John Travolta, Montgomery Clift… but it was too expensive. So I talked to the manager and asked him if he would give me a discount if donated something of equal value, and he agreed.
So the first thing I did was ring my mum and ask her if she had some old clothes to give away and she said yes, so I ended up with this bag full of clothes. And when I looked through them, there it was, The Red Dress, I couldn´t believe it!
He bends forward, picks the dress graciously from the floor and puts it on.
And it fit me perfectly.
Alejandro swings his hips from one side to another, occasionally kicking the frail of the dress, as he liberates explosive guttural impulses of joy moving his arms and winking at the guests as he dances towards the empty chair. Once he reaches the chair, he sits down and becomes his mother. The music starts.
Yo me llamo Cumbia, yo soy la Reina por donde voy
No hay una cadera que se esté quieta donde yo estoy
Mi piel es morena como los cueros de mi tambor
Y mis hombros son un par de maracas que besa el sol.
* * *
London, November 2013