I was intrigued as soon as I heard of it: Teatro Ciego (Blind Theater)? How does have a full dinner and show in the complete darkness? And it was. From the moment we walked in (hand on the shoulder of the person in front of you), were guided to your seats until the very end, there wasnt even the slightest pinpoint of light leaking in anywhere. The food was simple, but delicious things you could pick up with your fingers, so no difficult fumbling with forks and knifes. But one of the very strange aspects of this was, you didnt really know what it was that you were eating. Me and my entire table were quite surprised by this, to realize just how much of eating and our identification of flavors comes from seeing the food. Certain things were very clear (onion) but many others, still dont know exactly what it was.
The show was great, various ‘scenes’ from old Buenos Aires, during the the height of Tango, including songs by the classic singers like Carlos Gardel. The atmosphere in the crowd was great, with everyone joining in singing on the really popular numbers. In addition to a variety of sounds, the performance also made use of smells too, which was pretty unique.
I was sort of prepared for the lack of light, and not being able to see the people I was taking with (or my food), but one of the things that really surprised me was the sensation of not knowing the size the room we were in or how many people were there with us. Since they led us in with out any light, there was just no way to really know. We could hear the voices of other people, and knew we were on the edge of the room, but it was hard to judge more than that. It was a strange feeling, just not knowing what exactly where your surroundings.
Anyway, great experience. Would highly recommend, teatrociego.org, if you are ever in BA, or I hear that there are a few around the US too. Obviously couldnt take any pics during the show, but here’s one from the night, after the lights came on:
Wandering Joy 