The Culture (2007-2013) program of European Community supports international projects, which reach over the borders. Besides the fact that through application money can be got for programs to create cultural treasure, the international cooperation also promises the changing of experiences. I, as a viewer is mostly interested in the common denominator independently from the money, so that mentality, maybe similar understanding of theatre, style of performing, which as the precondition of cooperation, or even as its result can justify the working together ideologically too. To tell it easier: I am (also) waiting for the answer from the performance, that what is the common thing in the world view of Croatian, Slovenian and Hungarian theatrical performers.

Ivica Buljan, the director is said to be one of the most successful Croatian export items. I cannot doubt it however I have not found many originalities in the staging of Roberto Zucco. In my opinion the greatest staging virtue of the performance is, that the dynamic method of performance with many movements, which connects well to the topic and the content, can rule the performance consistently from the beginning until the end. But it has its dangers too: in spite of the continuous activity and aggression, the performance – especially during the second hour – becomes monotonous. No matter how destructive and running our world is, in which we live, in theatre anyway, maybe it is worth using the proven tools of slowing down and counterpointing, at least their leaving out on their own, would not raise the performance to be a modern one. Above all, because of the continuous violent running, many differentiated statements, fine elements of content cannot reach me, which are in the performance as possibilities. (Because the writer, Bernard-Marie Koltès did not simply write down the story of a scale of killings, but he also wrote a play, which is based on true stories and full of secrets and connotations, and which can be interpreted different ways.)

Buljan shows his extra angers “beyond their usual expression”, which remain hidden in the characters’ verbal communication and usual meta communication, with the help of visual, mostly fighting physical actions. When The Sister (Erika Tankó) argues violently with The Girl (Rita Kerkay) – on behalf of the saving of her decency – during the dialogue she hit and pushes, pulls down to the ground, kicks the other one. The Brother (Ákos Orosz) does the same with The Girl too, it is not special in the world of the performance, there are hardly any dialogues without fighting, wrestling, climbing on one another, tangling or running, going around each other frighteningly, the showing of power, physical rivalry, or without any further symbolic aggression. That way, many things cannot appear, which are implicitly and/or explicitly in the play, for example the diversity of Zucco’s personality, the fact that he usually shows his different faces to his different victims and to the other characters of the play. The condensation of the actions is usually against it (understanding as cuts) too. The re-interpretation of the play cannot be reasonable or successful, which cannot serve with any newer extra interpretations, with extra lessons, but which narrows the possibilities of over thinking instead.

Buljan gesture language, which is full of movements has its problems on its own. For example, if we compare it to Csaba Horváth’s “physical theatre” the first recognisable difference is, that while Horváth is usually works with abstract scales of movements, which alienate from the verbal communication, and he builds in them carefully some average, easily understandable gestures, then Buljan makes his actors do banal, really trivial, obvious actions (for example a slap or kicking and so on). However, these can manifest on the stage extra angers and hiding instincts, but cannot make them symbolic, and elevate the scenes from the reality of stones and soil. But a hyperrealist documentary theatre cannot be made by the help of them, as it is too artificial and frivolous sometimes. This language of gestures is not interchangeable in different situations on stage. While the playful bickering between The brother and The girl (however later becomes more powerful) is adequate. During The girl’s interrogation (in the pub-like brutality of the policemen) at least is hard to interpret. (In this scene it turns out clearly, that this language of gestures must be seen “just” symbolically.)

The continuous fighting-aggressive body language causes problems, with the usage of which the “quieter”, more subdued, or even lyrical scenes are hard to solve, the leaving of them in some scenes would refer to inconsistency. In that part I can see this problem, in which Zucco (Zoltán Lendváczky) meets the old man (Zsolt Páll), who gets lost in the underground. This dialogue by the writer – because of its crosstalk and symbolism – is one of the peak point of the performance (In 2003, Attila Vidnyászky in his staging in the Új Theatre, Zsolt Trill and Zoltán Nagy could create in it dramatic atmosphere, which is full of fear, with only a few tools), but on Buljan’s stage its power gets lost, its poetic nature gets lost, partly because, during the dialogue the two characters, whose limbs are got tangled, grab each other obsessively (as they must show consistently the physical language of gestures).

In spite of all these the Roberto Zucco of Maladype is not a useless experiment. We can learn from it, that our Southern neighbours are also looking for the possibilities to renew the theatrical language. It is good to see that in it, the actors of Maladype take part with exemplary discipline and amazing intensity. The actions, which demands on both the body and soul, which are high-levelled artistic performance and technique of movements, all the actors perform with full dedication, on good quality, it is a special trick as they sometimes switch between different languages (the performance is going on Hungarian, English and Italian language, the premier in Budapest will be followed by performances in Ljubljana and Zagreb.)

Csaba Kutszegi, szinhaz.net, 2013

(translated by: Veronika Fülöp)