It is a rarity and a true spectacle on any theater stage, when a theatrical performance experiences 20 years of continuous performance, and this Saturday at the Montenegrin National Theater, the play "The Beauty Queen" directed by Ana Vukotić, marked its two decades of performance by stepping confidently into the third.
The long applause and standing ovations of the audience once again confirmed the quality of one of the rare plays that in Montenegro can boast of such a long and fruitful repertoire life. The CNP points out that this is the longest-running performance of the national theater in recent history, and reminds that it premiered on October 13, 2004. However, it seems that longevity, along with topicality, engagement and acting skills, are the mannerisms of director Vukotić, which she announced at the very beginning of her fruitful career.
With the play "The Beauty Queen", according to the text Martina McDonagh, Vukotić graduated from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Cetinje. The roles are played by: Ana Vujošević, Marta Pićurić, Dejan Ivanić i Momcilo Otašević. In the original set of the play, they played Dear Thomas i Zoran Vujović.
For the role she played in this play, actress Vujošević once received the CNP's Annual Award, as well as the award of the International Martin Makdona Festival for the best female role in 2016 in Perm. "The Beauty Queen" also received the Don Quixote award for the best performance of the "Slavija 2005" festival.
After the performance on Saturday night, Otašević shared his memory of the process, when eight years ago he joined the ensemble of the play instead of Vujović, despite the fact that he normally does not like "jumping" but he was pleased to join the ensemble, because he watched the play as a child and enjoyed her.
"On those days, that is, the day before or on the day of the game, my grandmother died. I also come, play and the line goes: 'Peter is my brother'. Now, Ilija was the grandmother's husband's name, and Petar is his brother. Next, my grandfather's mother was called Mare, and in the play, my grandmother, whom I love and am friends with, is called Marija. And the icing on the cake, we play the last scene in the play where I say something like: 'Danica was a friend of your mother...' and my grandmother, whom I buried those days, was called Danica. And I remember that it was only during the performance that I experienced and really understood how strangely all those names in the play match and what kind of coincidences they are...", recalled Otašević.
Pićurić also recalled the beginning of work in this process.
"When Ana Vukotić invited me to join the show, I was delighted, but I was a little afraid. It's a big one, one of the main roles played fantastically by Dragica Tomas, and I kept thinking about whether I would do it in such a way as to justify Ana's trust. However, already after the first rehearsal, the dice fell into place. I also think that the mutual relations that my colleagues and I have contributed to the long life of the play, because we are not just colleagues, we are friends. And now, this play has been alive for 20 years, generations change, but it lives and lasts and I think that's really wonderful," said the actress.
The text was translated Đorđe Krivokapić, and she created the design of the play Jelena Tomasevic.
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