The new performance of Maladype Theatre, Woyzeck starts with a never ending, thick silence. In the twilight three men are laying in foetal position, four women are sitting in front of a wall which is decorated by family pictures in the background, there are piles of plates around them; on the right side of the place a man is standing in a shower in white dress (jacket, trousers, he is a soldier-like figure) in front of him there is a curtain of jars like drops of water which are stringed into a metal chain, there is water in all of them. In the foreground there is a red carpet, which is getting dirty by the drop of waters and sweat and by the broken peas, the man first makes just sounds, which turn into upset whispering, then into repressed crying, unarticulated and fragmental falls of texts; into orders, which lead into a depressing, nightmare-like vision.

Claudio Collová’s Woyzeck tries to broadcast the atmosphere of Büchner’s play, which gives great freedom to interpretive artist with its fragmental nature, but he can do it only partly successful.

The director and the play meet each other not for the first time: Collová has made more courses in connection with Woyzeck. In Italy he has made a performance of it, a year ago he had a workshop with the members of Maladype Theatre that time. Now he promises an independent, whole performance, but it seems to be as the intimate, original, experimental nature of the workshop cannot become a common experience. Collová builds on the same kind of elements as in the case of course, but while there the plates, the bottles full of water, the closed eyes were the tools of interpretation which lead to the deepness, there they should form an aesthetic whole surpass themselves too. The result makes us remember Leonce and Lena which was directed last year by Zoltán Balázs, which was an artistic project work based on the formation of scenes, but while there was a possibility of playing with the scenes, here this kind strong creative background cannot be felt. The scenes of Woyzeck are formed mostly in their movements and actions, as a kind of theatre of action, but these sequences, which are put next to one and another can work on their own, they cannot form a complex performance.

The vibrating plates give a frustrated base rhythm to the play in Éva Bakos’ hands, with their rattling they bring us into the illusion which is born in front of us, but when the actors are jumping on them, they have a double effect: they show us four Marys, who try to get over their frustration and the same amount of Woyzeck, the actors, whose any careless steps can have dangerous consequences. Water as the cliched symbol of cleaning does not indicate only the ending (Mary by Katalin Simkó will die in it), but as the image of urine is becomes the opinion about the world, and it can elevate from this plastic naturalism to show us the forced physical work. But the ideas are not put into a system, so our solutions can remain tips, above it the association which is brought up by the red scarf – which can symbolise the losing of virginity or raping – is destroyed by the sentence: “What is this red scarf in your hand?” It points at the most important problem of the performance: the lack of global context – so the objects and actions can mean only themselves.

However, the performance by actors – their determination, their amazing physical power and concentration – is impressive, but they remain just the fulfilment of ideas. All Woyzeck and Mary are different, of course. Ákos Orosz’s soldier is similar to hasek k.u.k. without the comic side of Svejk, and show only his determination. Orosz starts the performance with great physical concentration, he shows precisely the fear, and mixes the aura of the oppressor and the oppressed. Meanwhile his mimic is minimal, in his presence and gaze we can feel the importance of the actual moment: he loves, doubts, hides, he is afraid of something. Zsolt Páll’s play first indicates the role of the doctor (in case of one scene it cannot be decided whether the four schizoid Woyzecks are arguing with each other, or with the changing of the roles they have dialogue with the doctor, while examining all parts of the others’ body), then he turns into a grim and decided oppressed one, which he is fighting energetically with the physical barriers. Ádám Tompa with strong mimic shows us an innocent and confused Woyzeck, he is more childish and instinctive than the others, Zoltán Lendváczky’s Woyzeck is more instinctive, his movements are more distinctive.

The relationship towards different Marys comes from the identity by Woyzecks who are connected to them, but there are not defined couples, everybody comes in connection with everybody. Katalin Simkó’s Mary is seemingly naïve and nice young woman, but in spite of her cynicism, she can stay clear until the end. In connection with Éva Bakos, the most elevated moment is the fact that however, she is older than her partners are, she can become a wobbling rag doll, that tries to grab the moments with her all long gaze on the viewers. Hermina Fátyol’s Mary seems to be more fragile than the others meanwhile Kamilla Fátyol – on the contrary – is fragile inside, but a decisive character from outside.

The characters, as well as the relationships stretched between Marys and Woyzecks too are nuanced and they are built on changing. They love and hate each other, they try to understand the other one; Mary tries mostly to follow Woyzeck who is always changing and moody. But it is only the appearance, here the woman is not a simple partner, but maybe a more important character than the man, as Mary dies, then she lives on. However, the performance reaches up until that moment then it does not go on: the grandiose flashback is only the repetitive description of states and relationships.

The characters are subjected to great trials physically and mentally too, but the performance cannot engage the viewers’ attention, because the director seems to be without any other aim besides the formation of atmosphere: he wants to examine the borders of physical load capacity and actors’ concentration. It can be interesting in case of a workshop where there is no necessity of performance, even during performances if they are made with exact aims (it is enough to refer to W – Circus of Workers by Árpád Schilling) but here tools seem to become (self) aims, and unfortunately, it has made the performance self-serving. In case of Woyzeck by Büchner despite of its fragmentary nature the organising power, the depth of it can be felt – so it is about the freedom, love, oppression, social inequality, superficial world, belief (and about many other things), and as a conclusion it hold out hope to the viewers. In case of Woyzeck by Maladype Theatre this free fragmentary nature is hopeless.

Attila Nyulassy – István Ugrai, Színház, 2009

(translated by: Veronika Fülöp)