53 diumenges (Catalan for "53 Sundays") is a stage play written and directed by acclaimed Spanish filmmaker and playwright Cesc Gay. The comedy-drama premiered in 2020 at the historic Teatre Romea in Barcelona. A co-production between Misògines, Elefant, Mola and Teatre Romea, the play explores the complex and often combustible dynamics between adult siblings.
The story revolves around three siblings who convene for a family meeting to decide the future care of their elderly 86-year-old father. What begins as a practical discussion quickly unravels into bickering, long-held resentments, and darkly comic confrontations. The play examines how the past is never truly past between brothers and sisters, and how the smallest remark can detonate decades of buried tension.
The original stage production featured a cast led by prominent Catalan actors including Pere Arquillué, initially alongside Cristina Plazas, and later Marta Marco, along with Àgata Roca and Lluís Villanueva. The production was noted for its sharp, empathetic writing and its ability to find both humor and pathos in the mundane yet emotionally charged setting of a family gathering, establishing Cesc Gay’s confident voice in the theatre world following his successful debut play Els veïns de dalt.