Presentation of the monodramas Ecce homo, The Revenge of Red Shoes, KOD-Inspirations, performed by the actor Janusz Stolarski
27-29.11., 7:30 p.m., La Scena Club, 55, Calea Calarasilor, Bucharest
The Revenge of the Red Shoes Philip Dimitri Galas
Philips Dimitri Galas – dramatist, actor, circus artist and artist, has created a new stage form called “Avant-Vaudeville”. This form has been born out of his own experiences in theaters, circuses and cabarets in Europe and USA.
An exponent of this form is the monodrama The Revenge of the Red Shoes, which brought him important awards, among which the Weekly Theatre Award and Hollywood Drama – Logue Award. The monodrama has been translated by Sławomir Michał Chwastowski, especially for Janusz Stolarski. This is a musical drama, although no musical notes book has been filled-in in order to accompany the text. The music is the actor himself, his words and actions. For one hour, in a joking, free and ironic manner, the actor is telling us the story of an artist working in the American show business, of a musician who used to be “a famous star who sang travel scenes”. Now he only has his unfulfilled adolescent ambitions and the vane hope that he will encounter his “big success”. His past is haunting him just like the curse mentioned in the children song about the “red shoes”. A curse from which he is trying to break free every night.
Ecce homo
Fryderyk Nietzsche
The monodrama of Janusz Stolarski, an adaptation of „Ecce homo” opera of F. Nietzsche, has been developed as a monolog of the philosopher himself. In this play, Nietzsche is a character stained by tragedy, but also by a joking spirit, full of intelligence. The character is shown in two instances: of the lunatic and of the genius. On one hand, we can see a bright philosopher full of energy, who sets out his rights, and on the other hand, a lunatic blubbering nonsense words and hiding in a wooden box in order to get rid of his nightmares.
We are witnessing a fight against dementia, a disease that decomposes the body despite the intention to live, but above all, a fight between life and death.
The Code
„The Code” is a show developed based on the contacts of Janusz Stolarski with his future source of inspiration. His first impulse regarding the monodrama development has been received in 2005 when Ewa Wycichowska, dancer, choreographer and manager of the Dance Theater of Poznań, has proposed the co-direction and performance of the main part in the play „The adventures of Mr. von K.”. The final form of the play has been provided by the music of Zbigniew Łowżył and Krzysztof Nowikow, as well as by the texts of Mateusz Marczewski of the “Code” CD. Zbigniew Łowżył project. Garden Symphony. Part I”.
The play „The Code” is a simple, natural union of the actor’s movement with the music and sang words. For 40 minutes, the man-actor is fighting with his doubts and questions regarding the sense of life. “The movements make us think of something indispensable; is an ornament-free movement, which not only expresses emotions, but also states of mind, metaphors” (Ewa Obrębowska-Piasecka, in “Gazeta Wyborcza”, regarding Stolarski’s part in „The adventures of Mr. von K.”).
