Some theater asks polite questions. “Radojka” asks the impolite ones specifically, how far would you go to keep your paycheck?

On January 25 at 5:30 PM, DEMAR Art Gallery and Leneas Performing Arts bring this award-winning Uruguayan dark comedy to the Ken Miller Recreation Center at Torrance Cultural Arts Center. Described by its own creators as “a coldly calculated comedy,” the play has earned standing ovations across Uruguay, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, and Spain. Now Los Angeles gets its turn to laugh at mortality.

The Premise: Macabre Meets Necessary

Gloria and Lucía care for Radojka, an elderly Serbian woman whose death one morning threatens more than grief it threatens their livelihoods. What follows is a descent into increasingly absurd decisions as two women of vastly different temperaments (one submissive, one dominant) navigate the space between survival and morality. Think “Weekend at Bernie’s” meets existential crisis, performed by actresses who understand that the darkest humor illuminates our deepest truths.

Star Power With Decades of Chemistry

Yvonne Frayssinet and Pilar Brescia aren’t just acclaimed Peruvian actresses they’re artists whose friendship predates their professional careers. They first shared a stage in 1970s Lima at Club de Teatro, then inaugurated Teatro Marsano together in 1976 under legendary director Osvaldo Cattone. Their last collaboration was the 2016 Peruvian production of “The Vagina Monologues.”

That decades-long rapport translates into the kind of comedic timing that can’t be taught, only earned. When Frayssinet describes discovering “Radojka” by accident during a 2021 trip to Buenos Aires wrong tickets, right revelation you understand why she and her daughter immediately formed a production company to bring it home. “You either laugh or cry at how absurd things are,” says Brescia. “It’s like politics in our country.”

Argentine actor Marcelo Oxenford and Francesca Maldini (known for “¿Dónde Está Elisa?”) complete a cast that understands dark comedy requires absolute commitment to the truth within the absurdity.

Why It Matters

This isn’t comfort-zone theater. “Radojka” which ironically means “joy” in Serbian confronts audiences with their own moral flexibility when circumstances demand it. As Frayssinet notes, “It leaves you thinking about how far we’re capable of going, how much more the human being will continue to degenerate.”

The evening doubles as DEMAR Art Gallery’s third anniversary celebration, cementing Torrance’s growing reputation as a destination for sophisticated Latin American performing arts.

Practical Details

January 25, 2026, 5:30 PM.
Ken Miller Recreation Center at Torrance Cultural Arts Center
3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance, CA 90503.
Tickets available through Tickeri
WhatsApp (714) 412-7009.

Ken Miller Recreation Center at Torrance Cultural Arts Center
3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance, CA 90503