20 alternative theater plays to see in Buenos Aires

With Mucio Manchini, Pablo Mónaco, Daniel Begino, Sol Fassi, and cast. Directed by Nicolás Dominici and Federico Lama.

A chemist invents a machine to dissolve bodies, and a killer hires him for his services. The police enter the business, and the company grows, becoming the biggest and most productive in history. Without bodies, there’s no evidence, and the perfect crime becomes possible. A powerful, funny crime story full of suspense, malice, and dark humor, where the characters reveal their meanest traits, lost causes, and darkest interests.

Where: Andamio 90. Tickets, here.

With Irene Almus and Diego Licht. Directed by Gabi Goldberg.

A play weaving family love and the everyday mischief of Jewish culture, but with a message so universal it could also be called “La Abu” or “La Nona.” Ariel visits his grandmother for the last time, and instead of facing the sadness of goodbye, they relive their history, the songs that accompanied their lives, and share a very special surprise together.

Where: Teatro Border. Tickets, here.

With Fidel Araujo and Susana Giannone. Directed by Leo Di Nápoli.

The legendary novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky immerses us in a dreamlike atmosphere exploring the human condition, loneliness, and the fleetingness of love. A lonely writer meets an enigmatic woman by a pier, convinced he has found his muse, and they get to know each other during the White Nights of St. Petersburg. Can a moment of true happiness be enough to fill a lifetime?

Where: Timbre 4. Tickets, here.

With Joaquín Begino Lavalle and Cinthia Guerra. Directed by Diego Faturos.

Pablo embarks on a journey with no return date. Juana, his girlfriend, hopes they will marry when he returns, but days go by without news. In a fiction within fiction, a cast rehearses a play about to premiere, and Juana sees Pablo in dreams darker than any bomb… Will they finally find each other?

Where: Timbre 4. Tickets, here.

With Juan Luppi and Maxi Zago. Directed by Juan Luppi.

The story of Juan and Maxi, two street comedians hired to host the comeback of two comedy legends after 40 years away. In a neighborhood theater, amid rumors of a talent scout’s presence, the show turns into a chaotic night of sabotage, false identities, and a fierce fight to shine.

Where: Teatro El Tinglado. Tickets, here.

With Juan Diaco and Florencia Huesca. Directed by Juan Diaco.

Fifty years after its original premiere, this play by Ricardo Halac returns with renewed relevance. Set in the 1970s, it explores the tensions of a newlywed couple facing social mandates, gender inequality, and lingering family wounds. Half a century later, their conflicts still resonate: how much have our ways of relating changed — and how much haven’t they?

Where: El Vitral. Tickets, here.

With Roxana Randón, Adabel Guerrero, Manuel Novoa, and Gonzalo Villanueva. Directed by Alejandro Magnone.

A powerful and emotional drama that deeply questions the most sacred bonds: family. Through a seemingly simple situation—a family visit—a web of secrets, mandates, silences, and fractures unfolds, bursting what’s left unspoken. What happens when what comes from outside not only unsettles but transforms forever?

Where: Teatro El Tinglado. Tickets, here.

With Fernando Miguelez, Natalia Giardinieri, Mora Monteleone, and Nahuel Monasterio. Directed by Eva Halac and Hernán Márquez.

Emilio, a 54-year-old wine label designer, has just separated. His 18-year-old daughter Ámbar uses the garage for a questionable art installation. Melissa, 45, organizes cultural events. Manuel, 22, works in a funeral home to inspire his visual art. Four people trying to do the right thing but seeming to do the opposite until an unexpected decision brings their stories together.

Where: Teatro Del Pueblo. Tickets, here.

With Mavy Yunes, Martina Simeoni, Braian Ross. Directed by Flor Berthold.

A play unfolding the love triangle of Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Cristina Kahlo, the artist’s younger sister. On the Day of the Dead, the three souls return to the stage to tell their own story, marked by the accident that shaped Frida’s life, secrets, and their ties to art, love, and betrayal.

Where: Teatro El Grito. Tickets, here.

With Lucía Lavorano, Ariel Leyra, Juan Tammaro. Directed by Rodolfo Hoppe.

The latest creation by Ricardo Halac, where Ángel, a teacher and poet from Chaco, suffers an emotional crisis after migrating south with his pregnant wife. Hospitalized in a psychiatric ward, he finds recovery through writing and carving angels. Once free, his encounter with Tomás—a young fugitive—reopens old wounds and awakens an unexpected bond that confronts him with his past.

Where: Teatro El Extranjero. Tickets, here.

With Tony Lestingi, Pablo Mariuzzi, Natacha Delgado. Directed by Andrés Bazzalo.

A dramedy that tells the story of a family reunion forced by circumstances when Pablo returns to Buenos Aires after many years. With humor, tenderness, and a good dose of conflict, the play offers a compassionate look at family bonds and the legacies that live within us—both those that hurt and those that enlighten.

Where: Hasta Trilce. Tickets, here.

With Juan Gorchs, May Campero, Ludmi Soledad, Leandro Urueña, Agus García, and cast. Directed by Guillermo Guilarte.

A dark comedy following the misadventures of an aristocratic family after the murder of its patriarch. In a relentless satirical suspense, every member becomes a suspect, fighting for selfish ambitions even at the cost of family ties. The big question is: will we find out who the culprit is?

Where: Muy Teatro. Tickets, here.

With Malena Bernardi, Pablo Mónaco, Camila Zopatti, Fermín Varangot, and cast. Directed by Martín Repetto.

A story of relational conflicts amid the debate over a future euthanasia law that shakes society. Bonds reach a turning point where trust and love are questioned. How far are we willing to look the other way and cling to our ideal world? Once the limits of truth are crossed and lies take hold, the damage may be irreparable.

Where: Patio de Actores. Tickets, here.

A woman is forced to return to her home country to empty her mother’s house. There, the monarch butterflies inhabiting the empty home trigger a metamorphosis process, and through a language that blends theater and audiovisual art, the play offers a sensitive and poetic look at grief, absence, women, their relationships, and their fate.

Where: Área 623. Tickets, here.

With Ana Rodriguez Arana and Sylvia Tavcar. Directed by Andrea Giglio.

A theatrical piece exploring different approaches and experiences of love when a theater director tries to persuade a poet to grant the rights to a play about a romantic story. After a first meeting, the line between fiction and reality begins to blur, and the play’s plot unfolds simultaneously with its writing and performance.

Where: Ítaca Complejo Teatral. Tickets, here.

With Matías Broglia and Pedro Rissi. Directed by Adriana Roffi.

An absurd satire with disarming humor and surprising twists about the desire to “belong” and be part of a tribe at any cost. Two ordinary guys face off in a corrosive piece focused on polarization and abuse in humanity.

Where: El Camarín de las Musas. Tickets, here.

With Malena de Arregui, Roberto Carlos Burgener, Patricio Franchi, Magalí Iñigo, and cast. Directed by Juan Washington Felice Astorga.

The first installment of a trilogy set in an asylum, where Malena is welcomed by other patients and begins to rebuild herself through relationships, listening, and therapeutic work. In this environment, she questions desire, motherhood, and her role as a woman.

Where: Teatro Machado. Tickets, here.

With Laura Nevole, Vanesa Weinberg, Camila Blander, and Valentina Werenkraut. Directed by Silvia Gómez Giusto and Aliana Álvarez Pacheco.

Ana and Emilia are two sisters who reconstruct, through letters, their own story and that of their neighborhood, La Paternal. They’ve always been drawn to scattered points on maps—spots unclear if stains or islands. Emilia decided to stay living near the train tracks, the cemetery, the Warnes Shelter, and the Garrigós Home; Ana, on the other hand, went out in search of the world.

Where: Casa Gomez. Tickets, here.

With Andrés Terigi, Tomás Daumas, Florencia Mazza. Directed by Andrés Terigi.

A realistic fable based on a Dr. Seuss story, set on Christmas Eve but relocated to Argentina. Grincho is a green, ugly man who lives isolated in a cave behind a landfill. His sister Alina invites him to Christmas dinner at her house; also arriving is Noel, a former coworker working as Santa Claus tonight, who wants to have a beer with his friend. Will this be a Christmas like any other?

Where: Área 623. Tickets, here.

With Mario Petrosini and Cristian Sabaz. Directed by Alfredo Megna.

A dramedy where Andy (a tango dancer with a frustrated academic past) and Fito (a melancholic dumpster diver) are two mature men sharing a strange coexistence. They live together, confront each other, and tolerate one another. Amid dysfunctional routines and petty revenge, they build a relationship oscillating between habit and contained violence, inviting us to reflect on bonds and their consequences.

Where: El Tinglado. Tickets, here.