THE MAFALDS
Riverside Space, Bern, 2018
and included in ‘Immersione Libera’, Teatro Franco Parenti, Milan, 2019

(...) Mafalda (is) the main character of the performance presented by Marchi at Bagni Misteriosi and Teatro Franco Parenti, Milan. Inspired by the drama by Jean-Luc Lagarce Juste la Fin du Monde (1990), and the screenplay by Xavier Dolan (2016), the performance moves from the desire of the protagonist, a dog named Mafalda, to reconnect with her family, after years apart and shortly before a catastrophe. The dog attempts to speak out about her premonition, but with no success. Worried this can be the last chance to see her beloved ones; Mafalda proposes them a last journey to the unknown. Playing with the eschatological disambiguation of ‘End of the World’, Marchi proposes a further narrative layer. She adopts as karaoke We Are The World, the charity single originally recorded by Micheal Jackson and Lionel Richie in 1985 in support of Africa. As a soloist, Marchi performs baritone and falsetto and edits the original lyrics with patriarchal sentences – In these modern times, They don’t let you be a dominator, roars the head of the family – and matriarchal mourning – But what makes me sad is that I won’t have grandchildren... oh-oh-oh (cries). Mafalda is petrified – Oh I can’t believe so much negativity how can I be sure this is my real family – and her inability to move is also due to the fact she is a puppet. Marchi’s uniform defines her role on stage: a total black fuseaux similar to the one of puppet masters. Mafalda and her family are just character on the scene, which could be based on real events experienced by the artist. There is a game of mirrors and roles, which is not only exemplified by the video accompanying the performance – where Mafalda is looking at the lights of the nights form an airplane, but also by the waters of Bagni Misteriosi. Maybe, a stage where Malfalda decides to be herself one last time.

- Giulia Colletti, 2019
(excerpt from the catalogue of the exhibition ‘Immersione Libera’)