The review – The Hamlet question, Sophie’s choice, the unravelling of the Gordian knot or also DREAMLESSLAND
To be a good person at the cost of a ruined life or to be worthy of oneself at the cost of condemnation by the outside world? This dilemma was presented to us by students of the Theatre Academy in Rome in the story of people from a dreamless country. The deities: “Justice” and “Love” decide to find a person who meets their requirements for a “beautiful and good person.” But is it even possible?
The original folk story (Paolo Alessandri) is styled almost like a fairytale. The actors completely filled the empty stage with their being, dance and movement. They become the main stage design elements, supplemented only by small props. All actors act convincingly as a group as well as individuals. The most significant component of the production is in my perception the musical, movement and rhythmic interludes, which the actors create with one recurring expressive melody. The characters become animalistic puppets with a strong energetic expression that turns into a caricature of individual characters. Unfortunately, there is no character with a different energy and tempo-rhythm, which would break the monotony of this specific expression and create a pleasant contrast. The costumes (Monica Raponi) are simple, beige, white and light brown-hued colours, indicating the interconnectedness of the characters. However, each costume has a different cut suggesting small nuances of the person’s character. The costumes also indicate the time – probably the Middle Ages.
The themes of the play are clear: Suffering, poverty, greed, rapaciousness, lies, cheating and ingratitude. The play balances on the border of comedy and the fulfilment of serious themes. However, we do not get into depth, nor the solution of the main question, for which the creators eventually apologize. However, the viewers can ask themselves the question. “Can there be a really good person?” Or rather, “What does a good person actually look like?”
Kateřina Szopová (SLU)