At Theatre Works until March 30, 1996
Reviewed by Kate Herbert on March 23, 1996
Folk tales and myths are the stuff
on which we build a culture, raise our children and feed our common psyche.
Inja is a
Bulgarian folk tale about a violent man who becomes an heroic leader of his
people only to face karmic retribution for his previous sins. It is a
passionate tale told through repetitive physical imagery by Hildegarde in its
Australian-Bulgarian co-production under the co-directorship of David Wicks and
Vaskressia Viharova.
Zarco
Ouzunov's design uses matchstick screens set askew, giving us glimpses of
characters from village life. Actors chant, stamp and sing resonant Bulgarian
songs. We are witness to women water-carrying, bathing and mourning Inje's
death and his son's childhood mutilation.
The
simplicity of moving buckets of water, the stark horror of raw clay as
mutilated flesh and the child-like joy of the village women playing and
splashing, give this show a lyrical earthiness.
Bagryana
Popov and Angela Campbell from Hildegarde perform with commitment and warmth
while the Bulgarian actors were characterised by wit, charm and poignant
performance.
Communication
problems arise because the tale is not ours and the significant use of language
is Bulgarian - a surprising choice in a bi-lingual show. This is not to suggest
that a foreign language production cannot communicate volumes. The intention
can be clear with foreign language or no language at all.
Rather, the problems arise from breaking down
the tale into snatches of narrative, moments which are not highlights of the
story, making it too cryptic. The images are attractive but not so powerful as
to compensate for the obscurity of the narrative. Perhaps having two directors with
language, cultural, or theatrical differences is a tall order.
This is an
interesting and evocative piece of theatre which lacks some of the usual
clarity and definition of Hidegarde. See it anyway.
KATE
HERBERT
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