Rita Sebestyén: Off – programme Maladype
There are concerts, meetings, scenic readings in the off-programme of the POSZT, these are such an exceptionally density that the events often overlap each other. A truly exciting part of this really abundant choice is the theatrical part: for example, the college students’ exam performances or the puppet plays. Moreover the Maladype or Encounters Theatre in the Service Club, in the evening of 12th, June.
The chosen play is Ionesco’s opus, titled: Jack or The Submission, which would be comfortable to sign as an absurd one. The performance, which was directed by Zoltán Balázs, and which set and costumes were designed by Judit Gombár, is similar to surrealism from the point of view of the scenery: Jack in his black fez and black baggy panties is sitting in his glass cage, settled in front of the audience. He has straight face. The others are swarming around him in their same kind of wigs, plain clothes: excitedly and indignantly because Jack does not want to join the swarm at all. The central question is of course the marriage, and besides that, Jack is unwilling to “operate” according to the civil habits. The impotent swarming of the obtuse and upset family is much more similar to captivity than Jack’s apparent exclusion, which he chose. If we said that the performance is similar to surrealism the naming of its style is not complete at all: because the virtuoso, with a pot is sitting in the first row, dictates the rhythm of the performance, with his beat guides the bustled family partly, and partly comments ironically flock-like acts. In that way the genre is completed with ritual-like elements. Besides the scenery, we can read from the musicality, movements, gestures. The text makes obvious accents, which are from repetitions, and well-known emotions, because the significant part of the performance uses Gypsy language. Later on only Roberta uses Hungarian (her enormous white dress forces her to a crinoline-captivity, but the inventive bride’s head and limbs appear from the tough foams and the most unexpected places), who tells the story of foals running abandoned, as a comment on Jack’s situation. However, it is understandable otherwise too.
Fortunately, it can be understood better and on a higher level, than the mouth-watering social critics.
Rita Sebestyén, szinhaz.hu, 2002
The chosen play is Ionesco’s opus, titled: Jack or The Submission, which would be comfortable to sign as an absurd one. The performance, which was directed by Zoltán Balázs, and which set and costumes were designed by Judit Gombár, is similar to surrealism from the point of view of the scenery: Jack in his black fez and black baggy panties is sitting in his glass cage, settled in front of the audience. He has straight face. The others are swarming around him in their same kind of wigs, plain clothes: excitedly and indignantly because Jack does not want to join the swarm at all. The central question is of course the marriage, and besides that, Jack is unwilling to “operate” according to the civil habits. The impotent swarming of the obtuse and upset family is much more similar to captivity than Jack’s apparent exclusion, which he chose. If we said that the performance is similar to surrealism the naming of its style is not complete at all: because the virtuoso, with a pot is sitting in the first row, dictates the rhythm of the performance, with his beat guides the bustled family partly, and partly comments ironically flock-like acts. In that way the genre is completed with ritual-like elements. Besides the scenery, we can read from the musicality, movements, gestures. The text makes obvious accents, which are from repetitions, and well-known emotions, because the significant part of the performance uses Gypsy language. Later on only Roberta uses Hungarian (her enormous white dress forces her to a crinoline-captivity, but the inventive bride’s head and limbs appear from the tough foams and the most unexpected places), who tells the story of foals running abandoned, as a comment on Jack’s situation. However, it is understandable otherwise too.
Fortunately, it can be understood better and on a higher level, than the mouth-watering social critics.
Rita Sebestyén, szinhaz.hu, 2002