Stage sensations from Sturua

The last time the famous company directed by Robert Sturua came to Kyiv was three years ago. Since then, a lot of things have changed not only in Georgia, but in the outstanding director’s life as well. Let us remind that on August 15, 2011, according to the order of the then minister of culture and monument protection Nicholas Rurua, Sturua was dismissed from the post of the artistic director of the Shota Rustaveli Theater, where he had worked for 50 years! The official reason for the dismissal was the famous director’s xenophobic statements, but a part of Georgian public believed that the real reason for the dismissal were his critical remarks about president Mikheil Saakashvili and participation in the opposition’s rallies. However, Sturua did not remain unemployed. He was invited to the Moscow Theater Et Cetera, where he is still working as a director. In November, 2012, Sturua was reinstated as the artistic director of the Shota Rustaveli Theater. The respective order was signed by the current Georgian Culture Minister Guram Odisharia. At the same time, Sturua stated that he would not accept this position, until the official name would be changed to “artistic director and director of the theater.” Meanwhile, the new prime minister of the country Bidzina Ivanishvili has built a small theater for Sturua at the silk-weaving plant, with a seating capacity of up to 200 people. The theater opened with a premiere, a play Maria Callas at the end of January.

In Kyiv, Georgian actors will perform two of Sturua’s significant works. Hunting Season was the master’s last premiere before his dismissal from the theater in 2011. This play by the Georgian playwright Tamaz Chiladze tells about love, politics, memories, and lost hopes. A poltergeist appears in the house of the main character and her husband. He tells that he has betrayed his lovely wife for laical ideals. But the world was made up by presidents… The play should not be taken literally. As usual, Sturua made a cocktail out of theatrical genres, spiced with mysticism.

Tragedy and comedy, farce and drama, in other words, phantasmagoria of a play by Chiladze, music by Giya Kancheli, and choreography by Kote Purtseladze.

On April 14, Soldier, Love, Bodyguard, and President will be performed. The play by the famous contemporary playwright Lasha Bugadze is a typical late Sturua’s production: light, mischievous, sarcastic, and bold in its theatric solutions.

The protagonist is a president of some country (he wears an order ribbon with heavy old medals), surrounded by a bunch of courtiers. He is afraid of betrayal, and he finds a loyal bodyguard, a nephew of one of his retinue. The bodyguard, who looks like an oligophrenic person, can “smell like a dog and see like an eagle,” just like the detective from The Bremen Town Musicians, a popular Soviet-time children’s cartoon. He adores the president and is ready to eliminate anyone, who tries to hurt his adored boss. The nephew takes a great liking to his new post. He kills the president’s dentist because he hurt him while treating his teeth. And then he denounces him as a spy. He strangles the first lady, because he heard the president scream when he was having sex with his wife. Naturally, she was also denounced as a spy. Then he kills the president’s children, because they attacked their father, asking what happened to their mom. And finally, he kills the president himself, who starts tearing his hair out after having lost his family, and in terms of his loyal servant, he harms himself. The play is created by Sturua according to Brecht’s tradition. This boldly staged scenic absurdity is one of the best examples of the modern political theater. By the way, this play was never shown on tour before, and the Ukrainian audience will be the first to see the legendary director’s production. The performances of the Shota Rustaveli Theater, organized by the production company ArtHouse, will be held at the Ivan Franko National Theater, and will become the highlight of the season.