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Home : Program : Theatre |
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Fatherlessness - Hungary
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| Time : |
Nov 4(Wed) 20:00
Nov 5(Thu) 16:00 [CA]
Nov 11(Fri) 20:00 |
| Venue : |
Daehangno Arts Theater |
| Ticket Price : |
General R : 50,000 won S : 40,000 won
Y/S R : 30,000 won S : 20,000 won |
| Director : |
Yurij Kordonszkij |
| Company : |
The Örkény István Theatre |
| Original Work : |
Anton Chekhov’s Platanov |
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See a reproduction of Chekhov's Platonov from the Russian director, Yurij Kordonszij, a follower of Rev Dodin, come into the spotlight. Experience the story of a lost generation, presented in a chaotic setting, as the stage literally emanates an eerie sense of anxiety and uncertainty. |
"A Fish suffocated to Death, A Self-Portrait of Our Lost Generation"
Father is not the only one missing. The eternal pledges of honesty, truth and boldness are all dead. The only thing remaining is evil-minded depravity. A life in which the goal of life, itself, is lost means we are destined to endure solidarity and despair harsher than those in the depths of hell. Anton Chekhov's early-unfinished work of Platonov (1880s) has remerged as Fatherlessness (2007) by Yuriy Kordonskiy. Because Kordonskiy refuses to incorporate any prejudices of the world into his works, the title of the piece is simply a 'sign of convenience' to deliver the content and meaning of the work. His dramatic imagination includes boldly getting rid of protagonists and restructuring the stage in order to concentrate more on individuals who have lost their goals in life, thereby allowing us to get a step closer to Chekhov. A huge ferry that fills up the stage portrays the fear and attitude toward life of individuals living in an age of loss with utter starkness. The individuals hovering around the boundary of settlement and nomadism spend their time consuming alcohol and cigarettes and playing little games, or entangling themselves in complex relationships filling up conversation with their own monologues. The fast development of relationships headed toward no certain end makes the individuals unable to control their urge to vomit and pushes their inactiveness to the surface. Fireworks that lighten up the dark and the continuous popping sounds of opening champagne bottles are enough to have these individuals branded in our memory as those living for the moment. Humorous jokes thrown about in the depth of depression and despair make their lives increasingly solitary. The only thing these people playing checkers in a drunken state, oblivious to their possessions, and devoid of any meaningful human relationships, seem able to do is to get rid of their desires and replenish them with new ones without end.
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The stage is strewn with a ferry made of wisteria, ropes, a hammock, and a few chairs. The chaos on the stage realistically delivers a sense of uncertainty and anxiety of the space. A number of people who are dead tired of the world and yet remain wary and vigilant toward others are in the boat, wandering the seas. They are incapable of loving others nor can others love them. They are in the midst of wandering between the past and the present, full of self-pity and self-hatred for their incapacity. Their situation is delivered to the audience through a food basket that dangles along the line between tree trunks on a pulley. The anxiety of these individuals hanging by the threshold on the boundary between life and death no matter what their personal stature, economic capacity or looks may be is exhausting.
The impact of such shock appeal to the audience is effective immediately. Unlike two other works by Chekhov that were bookcase scenarios of realism, Platonov focuses on the idea of liberation of the self and contains romantic tendencies observed in his earlier works. The conflict among the characters stems from the uncertainties of their emotions and desires including those of the protagonist Platonov, his wife, Sasha, his ex-girlfriend, Anna, and the fiancée of Anna's son, Sergei. Remarks blurted out by the head-nodding Platonov, confused by his relationship with the female characters, stem from misgiving that he is unaware of. The question, 'Why can't life be any better?' cannot be answered in any way. It is a question that will only lead to injury. The fundamental loss experienced by Platonov, the void of which cannot be filled, can only result in the denial of the existence of the self at the advice of the pompous intellectuals he consults. Personal reputations that have been built up according to social utility or effectiveness close in upon all the characters. Their sorry lives are filled with a captivating emptiness or void of meaning.
Kordonskiy has turned this piece into a symphony by carefully and effectively designating the actors, set, sound and lighting. His meticulous direction that is melted into each expression and every small movement of the actors are enough to be sensed and appreciated by the audience. In contrast to the silence of death, the stage is filled with humor and wit. The balanced performance adds a touch of liveliness to the space which otherwise would not have existed. The fireworks and popping sound of champagne bottles that represent the overall atmosphere of the piece indicates how the space of life that has lost the meaning of death is momentary and fleeting.
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| Director |
- Yuriy Kordonskiy
Yuriy Kordonskiy studied acting and directing with the great Lev Dodin who won prestigious drama awards in Europe. Since 1989, he has been involved in performances, directing and giving lectures around the world. As an actor and director, he has toured and taken part in workshops in twenty countries including Russia, Germany, Spain, Rumania and Italy. His most recent pieces are: The House of Bernarda Alba by Maly Drama Theatre, Uncle Vanya by Bulandra Theatre and The Marriage. His works have been awarded the Golden Light Award in St. Petersburg, Best Drama by the Ministry of Culture in Rumania, awards for Best Director and other prestigious awards in Europe. He has taught acting and directing at Wesleyan University, Columbia University, George Washington University, and the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. |
| Company |
- Örkény István Theatre
The Ōrkény István Theatre can be traced back to the Madách Theatre set up in 1938. Ōrkény István Theatre was established in 2004, after three years of preparation, by the artistic director, Pál Mácsai, who was nominated for the position in 2001. Since then, the theatre company has presented works from Euripides to Shakespeare and from contemporary Hungarian pieces to a variety of foreign works. Thirty pieces constitute the dynamic repertoire of the theatre company. It has been invited regularly to the National Theatre Festival in Pècs and has received awards for Best Actor, Best Drama, Best Director and Best Costume at the festival. Its major works include The Bald Soprano – The Lesson (2003), The Seagull (2004), Twelfth Night (2006) and Finito (2007). The company strives to stimulate intellectual curiosity by adding new breath into the philosophy of drama and the performances of the group. This has remained the engine for its top-of-the-line performances around the world.
http://www.orkenyszinhaz.hu/eng/index.html |
| Staff |
Co-creation : Anna Héricz
Hungarian Translation / Dramaturg : Annamária Radnai
Set Designer : Csörsz Khell
Light Designer : Tamás Bányai
Costum Designer : Anni Füzér |
| Cast |
Éva Kerekes, Csaba Debreczeny, Anikó Für, Tamás Végvári, András Dömötör, Nóra Diána Takács, Pál Mácsai, Imre Csuja, Zsolt Máthé, László Széles, Krisztina Bíró |
| Original Work |
Anton Chekhov's Platanov |
Reviews
"Up until now, Platonov in its literal reading - perhaps because it is the most obvious way to perform it, after all - has eluded the rougher, wider tone. The Platonov of Kordonskiy is pure overflowing action and densely-packed drama. There are no still, intimate, narrative moments."
– Judit Szanto
"Chosing a guest director, namely Yuriy Kordonskiy, who was a student of Lev Dodin, did not seem to lack vision. However, the performance does not overemphasize the notion of fatherlessness - neither in a direct, nor indirect meaning - a significant trait of the young generation. (The only problem with the real meaning of the word is that Triletsky's father appears now and again. True, I have never seen a performance from which he is not eliminated.) The essential idiosyncracy of the production at the Örkény Theatre is that it is rather about a generation that has lost its goals, instead of dealing with gifted people who have gone off-track."
- Balázs Urbán, Criticai Lapok
"Kordonskiy retained the working title to contour a world without benchmarks, predisposed to failure. Here is a reverse reading of the Freudian father-complex. The absence of the father, of the supporting point, generates chaos. This time it is the absence that suffocates, not the presence."
- Stoica Oana
Awards
- 2006/7 Critics' Award for the "Best promising young artist" for Andras Domotor, Twelfth Night by W. Shakespeare.
- 2006/7 Miklos Gabor Award for "Best actress in a Shakespeare play" for Judit Pogany, Twelfth Night by W. Shakespeare.
- 2006/7 "Best Performance" at the National Theatre Festival in Pecs, Finito by I. Tasnadi
- 2006/7 "Best direction" for Pal Macsai - Happy Art Festival - Capitano Award, Finito by I. Tasnadi
- 2005/6 "Best actress" Award for Gabriella Hamori, Vidor Festival - Columbina Award, The Glass Slipper by F. Molnar
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