Who are we, really; what kind of lives do we live, for what or whom; whether the expectations of others or our own desires prevail in our own ambitions; how far are we willing to go for the sake of those ambitions, how do we face problems and ourselves, and whether we are who we are - alone, and then also in an environment that we believe is natural and safe... Quite serious questions are addressed and posed in an extremely interesting and beautiful way by the play "Top Friends", which premiered on Monday evening as part of the regular repertoire of the Cultural and Information Center "Budo Tomović" in Podgorica.
It can be said that the play is based on the text and direction Jelena Lela Milošević, Dodesta brought everything the audience needed to the intimate stage: she took the audience through the lives and community of three friends, and at the same time through their individual characters, revealing different layers, both of them and of ourselves. The story of friendship, but also of the complex relationships that hide beneath the surface of everyday interactions, ranged from a volley of sincere and loud laughter from those present, to a tense silence that was felt in the audience, filling the space of the chamber stage and the auditorium. Humor, emotional insights, the anxiety of (self)confrontation, alternate on stage with the constant presence of warmth, giving the audience the opportunity to recognize themselves in situations close to everyday life.
There was an atmosphere of ease and hospitality, despite the fact that the play is not interactive and does not require direct audience participation, but the impression was that the audience was a participant in the dinner at which “Top Friends: Igor, Lila and Marija” gathered. The most deserving of this are certainly the top actors who excelled in their task: Emir Catovic, Vanja Jovicevic i Marija Maša Labudović, but also unpretentious, free, and as such complex direction Jelena Lele Milošević which, although unobtrusive, focused attention on the dialogue and relationships between the characters.
The acting trio's performance was restrained when necessary, natural and trustworthy, but also expressive and lavish enough to emphasize the important points of a friendly relationship, the issues of society, and modern life, to put them before the audience and provoke reactions, thus showing that top-notch acting does not require hyperbolization and caricature of movements, emotions, facial expressions, or speech... All of this was further spiced up by the genuine chemistry that was felt on stage and in the plot that they credibly and authentically controlled and revealed, as well as the dynamics that rounded out the drama in less than an hour.
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One of the values of the play is that it brilliantly refers to modernity and everyday life, but resists daily social and political topics, instead dealing with man and his core, reminding us of the importance of small things that we often forget in our rush to achieve goals, careers, money...
Although simple in form, it questions boundaries and confronts numerous questions, leaving a strong impression and providing the audience with a reason to think, but also entertainment.
The team of Ćatović, Jovićević and Labudović, led by Milošević, successfully pointed out the essence of the chosen theme of friendship, with all the challenges, misunderstandings, hidden conflicts, unconscious patterns of behavior and functioning that go with it, all during a festive dinner for which the occasion is an important life moment. Whether the unspoken and unanswered, or those open questions will stand in the way of “Top Friends”, remains for the audience to discover. The fact that the play hit the core of interpersonal relationships and their complications was shown by the reactions of the audience, who followed the action with their reactions, and then rewarded the great team with long applause and standing ovations, bringing them back to bow several times.
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