21 October | 21:00 – ODEON Theatre, Majestic Hall
“We took advantage of the Shakespeare’s framing in the original text, that of theatre inside the theatre… This framing resulted in the performance being created on more levels and in what I hope adds to the usual reading of the play. The audience can see two variations of «The Untamed Shrew» that respond as opposites to the question: is the «taming» a ritual of winning over the woman or is it a ritual of «dumbing» her down?” (Leta Popescu)
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By: William Shakespeare
Translation of Shakespeare’s texts by: Violeta Popa
Stage adaptation: Leta Popescu, after an adaptation by Maria Manolescu
Cast:
Ruxandra, director of the show: Diana Buluga
Ana, author of rewriting: Sânziana Tarța
Sergiu, spectator: Adrian Cucu
Virginia, spectator: Irina Wintze
Geta, seat attendant: Patricia Brad
Vică, assistant director: Silvius Iorga
Miha, whisperer: Irina Barbir
Andrei, star-actor that plays BAPTISTA: Radu Lărgeanu
Mihai, actor that plays PETRUCCIO: Cosmin Stănilă
Irina, actress that plays CATERINA: Cecilia Lucanu-Donat
Dragoș, actor that plays HORTENSIO: Radu Dogaru
Alina, actress that plays BIANCA: Alexandra Tarce
Iulia, actress that plays CRISTINA: Diana-Ioana Licu
Directed by: Leta Popescu
Set design: Bogdan Spătaru
Choreography: Andrea Gavriliu
Original music: Radu Dogaru
Light design: Jenel Moldovan
Assistant director and video collages: Irina Caraulă
Assistant choreographer: Ioana Moldovan
Producer: Lucian Blaga National Theatre in Cluj-Napoca
Duration: 1h 55 min (no intermissions)
Recommended age: 14+
Performance in Romanian with English surtitles
The Untamed Shrew, rewritten by Maria Manolescu Borșa and director Leta Popescu for the National Theatre Cluj, polemically reinterprets the Shakespearean text from a feminist perspective. The performance deconstructs the relationship between the characters, swinging between affirming and denying of the patriarchal tradition of the female-male power relationship inside society and inside the couple. Consistent with her yearlong directorial project, Leta Popescu associates her laboratory of contemporary retrieval of popular theatre forms with producing dramatic texts nurtured by the themes of the present. (the NTF curators’ motivation)
Photo credits: Nicu Cherciu
