Last night, on the stage between the churches, the drama program of the XXXVIII Grad Teatar festival continued with the play "Švejk", based on the satirical novel "Experiences of the good soldier Švejk in the World War" by Jaroslav Hašek, dramatized by Kate Đarmati and Slobodan Obradović, and directed by Veljko Mićunović.
The play "Švejk", performed by the Belgrade Drama Theater, brings to the stage a witty and satirical portrayal of the famous literary hero, soldier Švejk, who through his simple, naive behavior exposes the absurdities and hypocrisy of the military system.
In addition to making the Budva audience laugh several times during the evening, the play "Švejk" also raises important topics about human nature, the meaninglessness of war and the power of "small" people in big events. The direction successfully balances comedy and criticism, while the actors bring the characters to life with such conviction that the audience is drawn into their stories from the very beginning until the end of the play, when the actors were rewarded with a standing ovation.
The blackout at the very end of the performance added an unplanned but perfectly symbolic point to the already impressive performance of the BDP ensemble. That unexpected moment further connected the audience and the actors in a shared experience, emphasizing the chaotic and unpredictability of the world we live in.
When asked whether Švejk is a madman or a genius, the actor Ozren Grabarić stated, after the performance, that this was the dilemma they dealt with in the play.
"That ambivalence and that dualism within the character is what's very exciting, and it's also exciting that it remains unrevealed, that it remains as a question we all ask ourselves. For me, each role is a lived life, different from my own, and it's always exciting for me to go through it. This role was specific because it involves humor, a comedian, but that's exactly why it's important that Švejk is not just a fool or an idiot, but that he finds a dose of emotion and a real experience of the world in which he lives. The goal was not only to go gaga, not to go only comical, because with Hašek, stringing gags is dominant, so he can pull it off. However, what playwrights Slobodan Obradović and Kata Đarmati insisted on was this balance. And that's what was really exciting to me, because it starts off one way and then it gets darker, and even Schweik in World War II, which is the Brechtian template we took, becomes a little more lost, like it's a more dangerous time. That danger moves inside with the story about races and the like, and that is the specificity that was the most interesting to me as a challenge," he said.
Grabarić is one of the few actors who played on almost all stages of the Grad Teatar festival. As he pointed out, he is glad to be a frequent guest of the festival.
"I played here, behind the elementary school 'Stefan Mitrov Ljubiša', in front of the Monastery of the Holy Trinity in Stanjevići, in the church of Santa Maria in Punta, in Zavala. I am glad that I am often a guest here, if not every year, then at least every other. I come here from 'Caligula' by Tomaž Pandur. That was my first visit to Budva, I think it was 2008, and I'm glad that we always come back here. It is nice that it is being held and that this theater festival continues in these areas", the actor pointed out.
Grabarić explains the power outage at the very end of the play as magic.
"Magic - that's theater. Theater is a miracle, an art that is inexplicable. We are constantly trying to understand everything, but there are spaces that our brain cannot process, understand, reach those heights. That's why we just have to surrender to the miracle," he said.
Actor Miloš Lazarov said that, although it seems difficult to play this play, it was not the case.
"It was demanding, but not complicated, because we were well led by Veljko (Mićunović) and Nevena (Glušica), who did the music. We let them go, did what they told us and trusted them, so it was actually fun to work on this. I think that the message of this play and this text is very clear and timeless - it is an anti-war satire that, unfortunately, remains relevant in every age. Our message is clear and I don't think I need to explain it much. I must say that Budva as a city treated us to a wonderful performance with all the effects that meant a lot to us - the power outage at the end at the right moment, bells, waves in the background while Ozren has his last monologue. This is something that will remain impressive to me", said Lazarov.
In addition to Grabarić and Lazarov, Milutin Milošević, Milutin Dapčević, Vanja Nenadić/Nataša Marković, Dunja Stojanović, Iva Ilinčić, Ivana Nikolić and Ivana Vukmirović play in the play.
Bonus video:
