Andrea Rádai: Puppets of gloves
The performance of Maladype emphasizes the infantile nature of the God given population with much humour and irony.
As a hurt child, who takes part on a psychological examination, would have painted his painting book, the vision of the stage of the performance with the different shades of the colour of blood. In the performance of Maladype Theatre in the New Studio of Thália Theatre, in Lorenzaccio, put on stage by Sándor Zsótér, the diagnosis of Firenze is: there are uncontrolled sexual instincts, and infantilism, which is on the edge of misunderstanding and idiotism.
The play, which was written by Alfred de Musset, who worked in the first half of the XIX. century, was performed first only after his death. The reason for it, cannot only be the fact that the staging of the play, which happens on more dozen of places, and shows more hundreds characters, had many technical difficulties, but the aspect that the main character’s figure and the mentality, which he stands for, overtook its own time a lot. Lorenzo (only his nickname is Lorenzaccio) the prince of Firenze, became famous in history as the killer of Alessandro de’ Medici. According to the prologue of the play, the main character is the forerunner of the Renaissance ideas, well-educated, righteous young man, who is ready to study. He is indicated by the desire for freedom and the euphoria of his young drive to kill one, so only one tyrant – he becomes consciously lecherous, coward wimp one to get closer to the dissolute Alessandro. But the properties, which are confirmed that way, leave a deep mark in Lorenzo’s soul, who by the time of the murder, has already known: the inhabitants of Firenze, would not live with the possibility of freedom, and the tyrant will be followed by another one. So the play loses faith in the saviour hero and in the possibility of improvement.
The performance of Maladype emphasizes the infantile nature of the God given population with much humour and irony. Júlia Ungár, the dramaturg reorganises and translates again the play, according to it and the possibilities of the troupe. So in the modern sounding text, the mentioning of Zsuzsi Mary seems to be natural, as well as the mockingly over-turned Italian names or the theme song of the Ghostbusters. The performance, which is much shorter than the original play, can get over easily the missed parts: so that the condensed actions can be followed, the actors themselves report the changings of places, and sometimes they sum up in some sentences, illustrate with cartoon-like gestures that what has happened during the unspecified scenes.
Lorenzaccio by Zsótér is literary pushed into the corner: the stage is surrounded by the auditorium on two sides, and by walls on the other two (set: Mária Ambrus). In the suffocating small place the play becomes thicker, the characters’ living place becomes narrower, as there are not any ways to escape. There is a tableau on one of the walls: the photos of Renaissance works, which were cut from albums and they were organised in school-like order. Those actors, who are not on stage, seem to be playing the drama play of portrait formation: they are posing by imitating the figures of Renaissance statues and paintings. They use only a few properties in the performance – only the gloves luxuriate on the stage. On the table there are more hundreds of sewed, crocheted together, stuffed red gloves, which make us remember the cut hands, and the tentacles of a strange animal. The gloves-monster, which lays motionless, comes alive on the actors’ body as topper, blanket, coat, the one, who wears them, for example the new prince of Firenze, Cosimo de’ Medici becomes a grotesque animal himself, into a legendary evil one. From the red gloves – from the material of monster – there is continuous supply: the citizens of Firenze, “in their free time” are crocheting as Moiraes the new supplies from red strings. The overblown ping gloves are smaller monsters. The motif of gloves is not just to create the bizarre world, but it refers to Lorenzo “eternal wound” too: according to the legend, Alessandro bit Lorenzo’s finger, who pulled a glove to the bleeding wound.
The performance is referring to the infantilism of the population (and of their leaders): on the stage some kind of childish feminine attitude is the ruler, which misses its male nature. The characters, on the level of the mocking by nursery school children turns the names upside down. When Maria, Soderini, Lorenzo’s mother is talking about the soul of her son’s younger life, Caterina is singing the theme song of Ghostbusters on high levelled tone. Lorenzo also tries to become similar to the idiotism of Firenze, when he pulls an overblown glove on his head. The male actors, who perform female roles, on high voices, with exaggerated gestures creates the weaker gender, who cries for smelling salts. Alessandro and Lorenzo’s lechery seems to be forgivable sin, as neither their immature super-egos nor their partners restrict their sexual instincts, and even those characters, who seemingly live a moral life, are sinful too: cardinal Cibo during the confession sometimes licks into marchioness Cibo’s ear, who then self-evidently lies into Alessandro’s bed. The costumes with the shades of red (Mari Benedek) are very eclectic in their style: cloak, solder-like coat, cardinal’s hat, silk skirt are mixed with jacket, latticed vest and tracksuits – as naughty boys have stolen the clothes from their parents’ wardrobes. Even the last drop of majesty, which lies in the play, gets rid of its elevation, all romantic elements are connected to some kind of pejorative and removal joke. The wildish men get gladioli instead of swords, the silver-shine moon is a plastic watering can, Luisa’s tomb is decorated with a photo of a black girl with headscarf, with the parody of the portraits from National Geographic.
The more dozen characters of the play are performed by just five actors, without taking into consideration their gender or level. Ádám Tompa as Alessandro is a fussy lecher, the tyrant, who blindly believes in his own power, who curiously examines Lorenzo, who may be equal to him, according to his belief and fear. In the role of the cardinal Cibo, as snake, tasting its victims, he surrounds the marchioness, as Pietro Strozzi he is the hot-headed young man. Zoltán Lendváczky can become suddenly from the dignified, but easily excited marchioness Cibo, or from the young, chuckling Caterina to a man. Zsolt Páll and Kamilla Fátyol are similarly excellent in their side roles, they perform the crowd too, the ordinary people of Firenze.
Lorenzo is the only one, who stands out of the line – as the actor, who performs him, does not get into other roles – he is not a version of a figure, but he seems to be an individuality. Ákos Orosz express at the same time Lorenzo, who participates in the game, and the other one, who watches it from outside: he face is almost flabby and puffy from partying, he is smiling blankly. If they are talking about another malicious thing, but his eyes express intelligence at the same time, and sometimes the creases of gloominess can be seen on his forehead. He sees the most from life, and lives on anyway, and he makes the biggest sacrifice, because he knows that his sacrifice is useless.
Andrea Rádai, Színház, 2009
(translated by: Veronika Fülöp)
As a hurt child, who takes part on a psychological examination, would have painted his painting book, the vision of the stage of the performance with the different shades of the colour of blood. In the performance of Maladype Theatre in the New Studio of Thália Theatre, in Lorenzaccio, put on stage by Sándor Zsótér, the diagnosis of Firenze is: there are uncontrolled sexual instincts, and infantilism, which is on the edge of misunderstanding and idiotism.
The play, which was written by Alfred de Musset, who worked in the first half of the XIX. century, was performed first only after his death. The reason for it, cannot only be the fact that the staging of the play, which happens on more dozen of places, and shows more hundreds characters, had many technical difficulties, but the aspect that the main character’s figure and the mentality, which he stands for, overtook its own time a lot. Lorenzo (only his nickname is Lorenzaccio) the prince of Firenze, became famous in history as the killer of Alessandro de’ Medici. According to the prologue of the play, the main character is the forerunner of the Renaissance ideas, well-educated, righteous young man, who is ready to study. He is indicated by the desire for freedom and the euphoria of his young drive to kill one, so only one tyrant – he becomes consciously lecherous, coward wimp one to get closer to the dissolute Alessandro. But the properties, which are confirmed that way, leave a deep mark in Lorenzo’s soul, who by the time of the murder, has already known: the inhabitants of Firenze, would not live with the possibility of freedom, and the tyrant will be followed by another one. So the play loses faith in the saviour hero and in the possibility of improvement.
The performance of Maladype emphasizes the infantile nature of the God given population with much humour and irony. Júlia Ungár, the dramaturg reorganises and translates again the play, according to it and the possibilities of the troupe. So in the modern sounding text, the mentioning of Zsuzsi Mary seems to be natural, as well as the mockingly over-turned Italian names or the theme song of the Ghostbusters. The performance, which is much shorter than the original play, can get over easily the missed parts: so that the condensed actions can be followed, the actors themselves report the changings of places, and sometimes they sum up in some sentences, illustrate with cartoon-like gestures that what has happened during the unspecified scenes.
Lorenzaccio by Zsótér is literary pushed into the corner: the stage is surrounded by the auditorium on two sides, and by walls on the other two (set: Mária Ambrus). In the suffocating small place the play becomes thicker, the characters’ living place becomes narrower, as there are not any ways to escape. There is a tableau on one of the walls: the photos of Renaissance works, which were cut from albums and they were organised in school-like order. Those actors, who are not on stage, seem to be playing the drama play of portrait formation: they are posing by imitating the figures of Renaissance statues and paintings. They use only a few properties in the performance – only the gloves luxuriate on the stage. On the table there are more hundreds of sewed, crocheted together, stuffed red gloves, which make us remember the cut hands, and the tentacles of a strange animal. The gloves-monster, which lays motionless, comes alive on the actors’ body as topper, blanket, coat, the one, who wears them, for example the new prince of Firenze, Cosimo de’ Medici becomes a grotesque animal himself, into a legendary evil one. From the red gloves – from the material of monster – there is continuous supply: the citizens of Firenze, “in their free time” are crocheting as Moiraes the new supplies from red strings. The overblown ping gloves are smaller monsters. The motif of gloves is not just to create the bizarre world, but it refers to Lorenzo “eternal wound” too: according to the legend, Alessandro bit Lorenzo’s finger, who pulled a glove to the bleeding wound.
The performance is referring to the infantilism of the population (and of their leaders): on the stage some kind of childish feminine attitude is the ruler, which misses its male nature. The characters, on the level of the mocking by nursery school children turns the names upside down. When Maria, Soderini, Lorenzo’s mother is talking about the soul of her son’s younger life, Caterina is singing the theme song of Ghostbusters on high levelled tone. Lorenzo also tries to become similar to the idiotism of Firenze, when he pulls an overblown glove on his head. The male actors, who perform female roles, on high voices, with exaggerated gestures creates the weaker gender, who cries for smelling salts. Alessandro and Lorenzo’s lechery seems to be forgivable sin, as neither their immature super-egos nor their partners restrict their sexual instincts, and even those characters, who seemingly live a moral life, are sinful too: cardinal Cibo during the confession sometimes licks into marchioness Cibo’s ear, who then self-evidently lies into Alessandro’s bed. The costumes with the shades of red (Mari Benedek) are very eclectic in their style: cloak, solder-like coat, cardinal’s hat, silk skirt are mixed with jacket, latticed vest and tracksuits – as naughty boys have stolen the clothes from their parents’ wardrobes. Even the last drop of majesty, which lies in the play, gets rid of its elevation, all romantic elements are connected to some kind of pejorative and removal joke. The wildish men get gladioli instead of swords, the silver-shine moon is a plastic watering can, Luisa’s tomb is decorated with a photo of a black girl with headscarf, with the parody of the portraits from National Geographic.
The more dozen characters of the play are performed by just five actors, without taking into consideration their gender or level. Ádám Tompa as Alessandro is a fussy lecher, the tyrant, who blindly believes in his own power, who curiously examines Lorenzo, who may be equal to him, according to his belief and fear. In the role of the cardinal Cibo, as snake, tasting its victims, he surrounds the marchioness, as Pietro Strozzi he is the hot-headed young man. Zoltán Lendváczky can become suddenly from the dignified, but easily excited marchioness Cibo, or from the young, chuckling Caterina to a man. Zsolt Páll and Kamilla Fátyol are similarly excellent in their side roles, they perform the crowd too, the ordinary people of Firenze.
Lorenzo is the only one, who stands out of the line – as the actor, who performs him, does not get into other roles – he is not a version of a figure, but he seems to be an individuality. Ákos Orosz express at the same time Lorenzo, who participates in the game, and the other one, who watches it from outside: he face is almost flabby and puffy from partying, he is smiling blankly. If they are talking about another malicious thing, but his eyes express intelligence at the same time, and sometimes the creases of gloominess can be seen on his forehead. He sees the most from life, and lives on anyway, and he makes the biggest sacrifice, because he knows that his sacrifice is useless.
Andrea Rádai, Színház, 2009
(translated by: Veronika Fülöp)