{"id":216,"date":"2016-03-08T19:29:53","date_gmt":"2016-03-08T19:29:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/6\/?p=216"},"modified":"2022-05-29T08:07:40","modified_gmt":"2022-05-29T08:07:40","slug":"andrei-serban-is-reshaping-the-classics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/6\/andrei-serban-is-reshaping-the-classics\/","title":{"rendered":"Andrei Serban is Reshaping the Classics"},"content":{"rendered":"

Oltita Cintec<\/strong>[1]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

\"1379570552\"<\/p>\n

Hedda Gabler <\/em>by Henrik Ibsen,<\/em> directed by Andrei \u015eerban. Premiere in Romania Cluj Napoca Hungarian Theatre, January 2012.<\/p>\n

Hedda Gabler<\/em> a \u00e9tait mise en sc\u00e8ne en janvier 2012, par Andrei \u015eerban au Th\u00e9\u00e2tre Hongrois de Cluj Napoca, l\u2019une des plus importantes compagnies d\u2019\u00e9tat de Roumanie. Comme il a fait d\u00e9j\u00e0 plusieurs fois avec A.P. Tchekhov (Trois soeurs<\/em> au Th\u00e9\u00e2tre National Budapest Hongrie,Mouette<\/em> au Th\u00e9\u00e2tre National Sibiu ou Oncle Vania<\/em> Th\u00e9\u00e2tre Hongrois Cluj Napoca), il a choisi un texte classique en le reint\u00e9rpretant dans le registre de notre zeistgeist<\/em>. Avant le soir de la premi\u00e8re, Andrei \u015eerban a adress\u00e9 au public une lettre \u00e1 Henrik Ibsen, pour mieux exprimer ses intentions de relire la pi\u00e9ce pour nous, le contemporains. Et en disant aussi que le metteur en sc\u00e8ne est pour une compagnie comme le coach<\/em> pour une \u00e9quipe de football. C\u2019est vraiment ainsi qu\u2019Andrei Serban assure un nouveau succ\u00e8s avec les extraordinaires acteurs du Th\u00e9\u00e2tre Hongrois de Cluj Napoca: actualisant l\u2019\u00e9sprit de la pi\u00e8ce et travaillant avec les interpr\u00e8tes qui font un travail au superlatif.<\/p>\n

After Uncle Vanya<\/em> by A.P. Chekhov and Cries and Whispers<\/em> by Ingmar Bergman, awarded by critics and applauded by audiences, Andrei \u015eerban strikes again with the Hungarian State Theatre from Cluj Napoca, Romania. It was an unexpected choice, Hedda Gabler<\/em>, a play rarely put on stage in Romania, not even once in the last two decades. This was good, first as a means of marketing it to the public, but also for the artistic mission of the state-funded company. At the moment it is one of the most valued in Romania, with strong, talented ensemble of actors.<\/p>\n

As usual with the choices Andrei \u015eerban makes, the semantic richness of Ibsen\u2019s play counted as well, the fact that like any classic it is open to new interpretations. Actually, reinterpreting old theatre-plays in new contemporary ways has been \u015eerban\u2019s directing strategy lately in Romania. At the National Theatre in Sibiu, he worked on The Seagull<\/em> in 2007, using the entire dramatic context as a pretext to create a scenic meditation together with actors and spectators of the continuous renewing operation of the theatre and of the permanent changes that people had to deal with. This pattern was creatively applied again in Uncle Vanya in<\/em> 2009 at the Hungarian State Theatre, where every single character was reinvented and the space of the theatre hall used in a very original manner. The public was seated on the stage, while the actors used even the audience area as a new stage. Also in Three Sisters<\/em> (National Theatre Budapest Hungary, 2011), \u015eerban imagined a modern performance, aesthetically transforming Chekhov\u2019s play into a grotesque tragicomedy with sad and yet happy clowns dreaming of Moscow.<\/p>\n

For Hedda Gabler<\/em> he did almost the same, becoming, together with Ibsen, a co-author of the performance. Except for the fact that in \u015eerban\u2019s view General Gabler is incarnated by a voice, nothing else is changed from the original play. Well, there is a new translation, in fact an adaptation made by \u015eerban and Dana Dima, but everything Ibsen wrote a hundred years ago has been kept, even the smallest set design details. \u015eerban reshapes Hedda<\/em> Gabler<\/em> bringing her to our time, for better perception. His vision is unexpected, fresh, captivating, and during the two hours and twenty minutes of the show – can you believe it? – we laugh. With bitterness, of course, which is the present recommended way of dealing with things we cannot handle.<\/p>\n

How does Andrei \u015eerban do this? First, by redesigning the characters. As we know, Ibsen imagined Hedda, Tesman, Eilert, Thea, Brack and the others in a complicated affective and social network, almost impossible to solve, because of their past, because of their incapability to face the present, with personal ambitions and lack of pure ideals and lack of pure love. Small lies, hidden hopes, no balance in feelings all make Hedda\u2019s world an ugly one, even though appearances say the opposite.<\/p>\n

In this theatrical landscape, the director works directly on the characters, giving them new interesting shapes. Here, at this point, he abandons Ibsen, not by betraying him, but by adding new significations according to our zeitgeist<\/em>. And trust me, this is a strong feature for the show! Let\u2019s be honest, except scholars, nobody today has the patience to watch four hours of old stories about a beautiful woman surrounded by men who all want something from her!<\/p>\n

A few days before the opening night, Andrei \u015eerban published in the press a letter to none other than Henrik Ibsen. This is a bit unusual for Romanian cultural habits, but among other things he highlighted the importance of the stage director for the actors\u2019 achievements. He used a comparison to football, saying that the stage director is very similar to a coach of a team of individual football players. He was perfectly right and his approach to Hedda Gabler<\/em> focuses first of all on his renewed ideas, but also on the actors\u2019 training. Following this concept you will discover metamorphosis<\/a> made by \u015eerban, and the result of this is that every character gets a new portrait. Everybody and everything revolves around<\/p>\n

\"Kezdi
Kezdi Imola as Hedda Gabler.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hedda (Kezdi Imola) who is beautiful, and always has been, but distant, dominating, bullying her ex-schoolmate Thea. Hedda is the town\u2019s darling, popular but unhappy. Often, I had the feeling of an American story, with a blond, pretty woman – Hedda gets a Marilyn Monroe vinyl as a gift, but this is more than a courtesy gesture, it\u00b4s a sign, a theatrical quote \u2013 whose tragic end means taking her own life. Not because of despairs, but because of dignity and pride; she does it dressed in her father\u2019s uniform!<\/p>\n

The soundtrack used in the family room is also American, hits from the interwar years. After a tumultuous youth, Hedda has now settled down with Tesman. But the reminiscences of her past are too strong, so men from her biography are soon coming out. Like Eilert Lovborg, the challenging intellectual competitor of her recent husband, and judge Brack, still interested in Hedda\u2019s charm and willing to take his chance at every opportunity.<\/p>\n

\"Bogdan
Bogdan Zsolt (Tesman), Hathazi Andras (Brack) and Kezdi Imola (Hedda Gabler).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

George Tesman, played by Bogdan Zsolt\u00a0 personifies an infant, a misfit persona in the grown-up world. Childish, unable to compete, he is like a rabbit, taking small, quick paces, hops and acting like a kid in a dependent relationship to his wife and aunts. Zsolt\u2019s performance is remarkable, versatile. He controlls his scene posture, voice, mimic, he creates an agitated, powerless, clumsy character. The same kind of outstanding performance is given by Hathazi Andras in the role of Judge Brack. A real gentleman, gallant, shifty, he is sending messages not only through words but also through body language, astonishing changes in his facial mask from happy to sad, which once again proves his accurate chameleonic power.<\/p>\n

Eilert Lovborg is given life by a young actor, Sz\u00fccs Ervin. The difference between Tesman and Eilert is outlined from the very beginning: Eilert is athletic, tall, with a strong masculine voice, making Tesman look ridiculous in comparison. A thin manuscript, only a few pages, kept by Tesman in a huge suitcase reveals how limited his scholarly capacity really is. This play speaks about power, the cobweb of which is accurately revealed by \u015eerban in this spectacular construction in which important themes of the play are emphasized (the spiritual creation\u2019s similarity to procreation, the idea that behind every strong man is an even stronger woman, seduction as weapon etc.).<\/p>\n

\"Sz\u00fccs
Sz\u00fccs Ervin (Eilert Lovborg), Eniko Gyorgyakab (Mrs. Elvsted).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Everything is complicated in this human relationships network, where not the normal type, the duet, is used, but instead everything goes in three, meaning immixing, conflicts, repositioning. Even though they are not as popular actors as Zsolt and Hathazi, nevertheless, Sz\u00fccs Ervin (Eilert Lovborg) and Eniko Gyorgyakab (Mrs. Elvsted) manage to stand out and give a great performance, even though Sz\u00fccs exaggerates a bit in the second half.<\/p>\n

Aunt Julia is a tonic and an optimist, and \u015eerban\u2019s idea to cast the same actress (Varga Csilla) also in the role of Diana the tramp, was brilliant. On one hand, it\u2019s a source of humor; on the other, it gives the actress an opportunity to switch roles quickly, without any obvious effort. Varga Csilla is at times an over maternal aunt (photo 4), overwhelming her nephew with affection, and at times a cheap woman with no principles. Tall, with a well prominent shape, versatile, Csilla Varga attracts the audience\u2019s attention, at some moments much more than Hedda does.<\/p>\n

\"Csilla
Csilla Varga (Aunt Julia) and Bogdan Zsolt (Tesman).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Carmencita Brojboiu\u2019s set design follows Ibsen\u2019s didascalies, offering the perfect ambience for the show, in a realistic yet suggestive way. Like, for instance, the transparent walls through which everyone peaks, which suggesting voyeurism and attacks to privacy.<\/p>\n

This Hedda Gabler<\/em> is a new file in \u015eerban\u2019s latest project to rediscover classics in his unique way. In order to understand them, at least that\u00b4s what he says, he chooses a play and reinterprets it as they go along, he with the cast but also with the audience. The outcome of Serban\u2019s vision is that theatre is always a way for a better understanding of our world.<\/p>\n

\n

\"1379570552\"<\/p>\n

<\/a>[1] Oltita Cintec<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>theatre critic, PhD in Performing Art Theory, associate lecturer at the Ia\u015fi \u201eGeorge Enescu\u201d University of Arts, general secretary of The Romanian section of AICT, member of the Romanian National Writers Union. Reviews published in Observator cultural, Timpul, Scena, Teatrul Azi, Convorbiri literare, Dacia literar\u0103, Cronica, Ateneu<\/em>, Colocvii teatrale, Euresis<\/em>. Author of nine books about contemporary performing art, the latest is an essay about the Romanian director Silviu Purcarete. Artistic manager of several Romanian theatre festivals.<\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9<\/strong> 2012 Oltita Cintec
\nCritical Stages\/Sc\u00e8nes critiques<\/em> e-ISSN: 2409-7411<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This work is licensed under the
\nCreative Commons Attribution International License CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Oltita Cintec[1] Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen, directed by Andrei \u015eerban. Premiere in Romania Cluj Napoca Hungarian Theatre, January 2012. Hedda Gabler a \u00e9tait mise en sc\u00e8ne en janvier 2012, par Andrei \u015eerban au Th\u00e9\u00e2tre Hongrois de Cluj Napoca, l\u2019une<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":221,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-performance-reviews","","tg-column-two"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/6\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2016\/03\/1379570552.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7kGC0-3u","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/6\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/6\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/6\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/6\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/6\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=216"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/6\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":628,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/6\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216\/revisions\/628"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/6\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/6\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/6\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/6\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}