One of the reasons one might like to spend a weekend in Cluj is theatre: the “market” is divided between the Hungarian State Theatre and The National Theatre “Lucian Blaga”, and the two directors involved in their management - Tompa Gabor and Mihai Maniuţiu - are on the short list of the best Romanian creators of theatre, among the few also known abroad. Before the closing of the season I stopped for a weekend full of theatre in Cluj, this one time however only with the National Theatre.
I got a real dose of performances: new and old titles, recognised artists and beginners, small hall and large hall performances: “A Midsummer Night's Dream” by Shakespeare, directed by Sorin Militaru, “How to Explain the History of Communism to Mental Patients” by Matthew Visniec, directed by Mona Chirila, “The Inspector General” by Gogol, directed by Mona Chirila, “The Insect Play” by the Kapec Brothers, directed by Andreea Iacob and “The Murdering of the Marquis de Sade”, on a script by Marius Benta, directed by Laszlo Oliver. And I noted the following: The National Theatre in Cluj has a great team, with actors covering all ages and a wide range of expression. Young actors seem to be carefully chosen from the extra large and heterogeneous classes in theatre schools in recent years, so that each personality calls your attention somehow: this time I noticed Romina Merei and Cristian Rigman, besides the already known Catalin Herlo, Anca Hanu, Ramona Dumitrean, Cristian Grosu, Patricia Boaru, Silvius Iorga. I was glad to see that much of its repertory mostly includes them, which gives a good to the performances. All of them, young and less young, seem ready, “ripe” as they say, for big performances. Looking new directors is also a constant concern here - the “Debut” Programme carried out by the theatre in the “Euphorion” small hall continued in the 2009-2010 season as well and two of the performances I’ve seen during this trip were signed by debutants – “The Insect Play” and “The Murdering of the Marquis de Sade”.
Of course, I noted other things too: the National Theatre in Cluj deserves a better theatre hall, where the audience should feel spoiled – the restoration of the historic building of the theatre repairs kept being deferred and is still pending - and a fuller theatre hall, although the season 2009-2010, declared the “Season of Comedy” managed to bring a large audience. However, there are still missing the event-performances that might tilt the balance in favour of Romanian language theatre, as it is still strongly tilted towards the Hungarian language theatre which has built a mixed since all their performances are subtitled into Romanian.
Of all the performances I’ve seen during the weekend I’m talking about, “A Midsummer Night's Dream” might have stood the best chances to become an event-performance. It is a complex staging, in the large hall, involving most of the actors in the theatre and artists who were often noted lately – director Sorin Militaru, composer Vlaicu Golcea (UNITER Prize for theatre music) and the theatre scenographer, Cristian Rusu - and it is a text which often in history gave great creations. Still... The same Shakespeare that can launch a director or be the basis for great performances can turn into a trap when not given its well required attention.
The fact that the text of the play was not re-translated and/or adapted according to the ideas of the performance were the first signs that the director no longer asked the questions that Brook deemed essential for this profession – “Why?” and “How?”. The performance uses St. O. Iosif’s translation, but it “grafts” changed words on it and it “urbanizes” the expression, to its detriment, when it lacks the consistency to state this line. Seeming undecided whether and how to modernize the characters speaking, the director leaves it uncontrolled and gives it much less of the attention it would have deserved, since the text remains, however, an essential for any staging based on Shakespeare (with the exception of the non-verbal performances, of course). A sort of a merry negligence touches other elements of the performance as well, tinting its overall appearance. Ideas are begun and then forgotten (why at the beginning of the performance the characters paint the walls covering opulent frescoes in a layer of lime? and why is there nothing to continue this idea, complete it or explain it?). The lack of a consistent idea is obvious in the design of the costumes, which are either ordinarily civil or devoid of any magic when it needs to suggest it. Furthermore, a kind indecisive “yobby” can read in the rejection gestures of young lovers (that was not funny, in case that was the intention). All the above overshadow the good elements and leave an impression of lack of clarity in the directorial ideas. But the there are doubtlessly good parts as well: in the sound world imagined by Vlaicu Golcea, with the spectacular live participation of young actresses Romina Merei, with her incredible voice, able to slip quietly through the voices of her colleagues, dressing them un into a brilliant sound and creating mystery or in the excellent usage of lights to create “magical points” on the map of the performance. Last but not least, the ebullient comic of the carpenters scenes when the actors take control of the performance, is one of the strengths of production. The actors Ovidiu Crisan, Catalin Herlo, Ruslan Barlea, Sorin Misiriantu, Dragos Pop, Adrian Cucu burst out in the construction of the funny group of carpenters suddenly landed in the unknown “kingdom” of art, confused at the new situation and desperately trying to hold on tight to their tools or/and clerk-like brief cases for them not to remain just “leaves in the wind” (due to the vague updating which operates unclearly throughout the performance, the craftsmen are rather seen here as “employees”, just as foreign to the art scene). Moments when, despite themselves, they “abandon” to the interpretation of their roles alternate with moments when they walk of the stage frowning, insecure, fearing the dangers awaiting them, and this mixture generates a good quality comedy.
Much more homogeneous was the performance “The Inspector General”, directed by Mona Chirila (and the known director signs with a new name - Mona Marian, so from now on we will respect her wish). There are no major dissonances here, nor costumes or scenery from different “movies”. But...
There a ”but” here as well. More about it, next week.
To be continued
