Does "The Dogs" Make You Question Your Happiness?

A provocative question hangs in the air on Laura's 40th birthday: "What if my life is a waste of time?" This unsettling query, whispered by a stranger hours before her celebration, becomes the catalyst for the play "Los perros" (The Dogs), now premiering at the Teatro Milán.

The production, featuring Sofía Álvarez, Marco Treviño, Paula Watson, and Ignacio Riva Palacio, plunges the audience into a darkly comedic reflection on a dysfunctional family. At its heart is a young couple mired in conformity, contrasted with peculiar and meddling in-laws, transforming a birthday party into a ticking time bomb.

“

I think the crisis, beyond age, always brings the same questions: Does our life have meaning? Is it useful? Is there a reason for it to be for me and for others?

Director Cristian Magaloni describes the play as a mirror, reflecting the universal questions about life's meaning and purpose that surface during personal crises. "I think the crisis, beyond age, always brings the same questions: Does our life have meaning? Is it useful? Is there a reason for it to be for me and for others?" he stated, noting how the text prompted him to re-evaluate his own life during a difficult period.

“

This play is about people's crises at different ages, about how we are never happy because we never ask ourselves if we are okay with our lives and if we like our lives.

Ignacio Riva Palacio emphasizes that the play tackles themes that resonate deeply, prompting self-examination and the courage to act. "This play is about people's crises at different ages, about how we are never happy because we never ask ourselves if we are okay with our lives and if we like our lives," he explained. He points to the common family dynamic of avoiding genuine communication, settling for superficial answers like "fine" instead of expressing true feelings.

Marco Treviño, joining the cast for this third season, highlighted the play's exploration of human dissatisfaction and the perpetual search for something more. "From another perspective, this play also talks about apparent unhappiness due to this permanent dissatisfaction of human beings, at least that's what happens with the Father, because we are always looking for something more and nothing satisfies us, we are running after happiness and never reach it," he shared.

“

From another perspective, this play also talks about apparent unhappiness due to this permanent dissatisfaction of human beings, at least that's what happens with the Father, because we are always looking for something more and nothing satisfies us, we are running after happiness and never reach it.