25 October | 20:00 – „I.L. Caragiale” National Theatre Bucharst, „Ion Caramitru” Hall / Seating: tiered
26 October | 19:30 – „I.L. Caragiale” National Theatre Bucharst, „Ion Caramitru” Hall/ spectacol pe gradene
In Radu Afrim’s theatrical carousel, fragments of contemporary Romanian prose intertwine in an ironic, poetic collage. Characters in search of love, meaning and freedom traverse an exuberant scenic universe that transforms the banal everyday into fantasy and pure emotion.
Script by: Radu Afrim
Texts: Vizită în casa unui bărbat în absența soției sale by Adriana Bittel, Variabila Dostoievski by Bogdan Răileanu, Țâțe by Doina Ruști
Cast:
Massimo: Andrei Bibire
Dutti: Theodor Șoptelea
Michi: Ștefan Mihai
Ina: Cristiana Luca
Sabina: Ecaterina Lupu
Lana del Mar: Lana Moscaliuc
Salvamarul: Cătălin Bucur
Güzel Kâz: Anais Agi-Ali
Anelise: Liliana Cazan
Ginel / Polițist: Iulian Enache
Mirela: Dana Dumitrescu
Antonel: Costinel Antone
Mrs. N.: Nina Udrescu
Policeman (extra): Cosmin Conțolencu
Directed by: Radu Afrim
Set design by: Irina Moscu
Choreography: Flavia Giurgiu
Original music by: Alexandru Suciu
Light design by: Cristian Niculescu
Video design by: Andrei Dermengiu
Produced by: Constanța State Theatre
Recommended age: 16+
Duratio: 3h 40min (one interval)
In Romanian with English surtitles
When Radu Afrim takes to play, you feel the urge to be there — to see what will unfold: an afrimiad or an afrimedy, a pendulum that keeps you breathless, swinging between the absurd, lines of bizarre comedy, and poetry distilled to tears.
Afrim seems to invent an entirely new dramatic species, fueled by the element of surprise that erupts from every corner — from the text and the acting, from the set and the props, from the costumes and the music.
“Sometimes a touch of kitsch holds you back when you feel you’ve raced too far ahead of your fellow beings, in your aspirations and ideals.” This line from Afrim’s script could serve as a key to reading the playful (self-)irony that pulses through this performance. With humor that cuts and stings, yet with crystalline lucidity — as in all his theatre — Afrim confronts, unflinchingly, the intolerances of our age.
Photos: Andrei Văleanu
