Novi Sad Theatre, premiere 18th Decembre 2024
It is said that every generation feels that the end times are near and every generation is proven wrong. However, millennials appear to have it particularly difficult compared to older generations. Allegedly, millennials are the first generation to imagine the future as bleaker than the present. While previous generations envisioned a future filled with flying cars and robots assisting with household chores, today’s generation tends to view the future through a dystopian lens.
Cabaret Piccolo Grande: Dystopia directed by Lénárd Róbert, explores a dystopian future and is the first part of a larger multi-part cabaret project. In keeping with the genre and form, the show includes satirical sketches that comment on the state of politics today. Set in the year 2124, the narrative is presented in the form of TV news, offering the audience an overview of the state of Novi Sad, referred to as Sankt Petrovaradin. The cabaret host, Ozsvár Róbert, is a television presenter who delivers daily news on a variety of topics including politics, economics, culture, sports, society, and tourism. In this dystopian reality, Serbia has become a satellite state of Russia, while the world outside is engulfed in global warming, nuclear catastrophes, and the threat of world war. AI has emerged as the dominant power, leading to the disappearance of both culture and nature.
Due to radiation and environmental pollution, many people have developed additional limbs, and workers face exploitation in mines. Violence has permeated even kindergartens, while schools now teach cybersex. Television, reminiscent of a state-controlled tabloid channel like Pink, is designed to stupefy, sedate, and mentally euthanize its viewers. Even when a UFO appears with a critical message about humanity’s fate, that information is censored if it contradicts the ruling regime. Eco-activists are also criticized for destroying artwork in the name of supporting human rights and the environment. The scenes were sometimes filled with too much text, but perhaps that’s where the grande in the title comes into play. The cabaret is performed in secret, away from the watchful eyes of artificial intelligence, which is present everywhere and prohibits anything human, including laughter. The atmosphere of secrecy is heightened by the intimate, cramped space and the proximity between the performers and the audience.
Cabaret Piccolo Grande: Distopia. Photos: Srđan Doroški.
Songs featuring political criticism are played between scenes, accompanied by piano, following all the conventions of the cabaret genre. Interestingly, the music was composed by artificial intelligence. The most disappointing part? The average viewer — someone without a trained ear and limited experience watching cabaret (like me), couldn’t detect anything unusual. Although, the clever, thought-provoking lyrics (written by human intelligence) receive far more attention. This is, to my knowledge, the first play on our stages that incorporates artificial intelligence into its creative team. The fact that the composer was replaced by software in 2024 reflects the prediction that, in a hundred years, humans will be replaced in intellectual jobs and decision-making roles. Instead, people will be relegated to performing hard physical labour and working in food delivery. Like the other themes in the play, this one is also approached with a good dose of (dark) humour. AI as a character, the democratically elected Tsar of Eastern Europe, is treated more as a source of comedy than as an instrument of fear. Decisions are made by AI due to the government’s lack of intelligence. However, even under AI rule, loyal snitch bots aligned with the government have not vanished; they seem as enduring as cockroaches.
Last year, nearly 30 governments (including the USA, China, the EU, and the UK) signed the Bletchley Declaration on Artificial Intelligence, acknowledging that “there is potential for significant, even catastrophic harm, whether intentional or unintentional, arising from the most powerful capabilities of these AI models.” I believe this cabaret has introduced a new theme to Serbian dramaturgy.
The actors from the Novi Sad Theatre have no reason to worry about being replaced by AI. They are flawless in their performances — quick, exceptionally articulate, charming, endlessly entertaining, well-coordinated, and adept at swift transformations.
It is not easy to outdo the reality and turn it into comedy. The question is whether enough time has passed for us to laugh at particular topics (state-controlled sensationalist TV channels that fail to convey the truth, censorship, mass deforestation in cities, mines destroying land, water, and air) and whether we have developed enough ironic distance. I must note that the premiere is happening at a time of (my) saturation with daily politics and information overload, during protests in Serbia where students and pupils are blocking universities and high schools, which makes my judgment on this matter inherently subjective.
Cabaret Piccolo Grande: Dystopia is a significant reflection of our times and an alarm that change is needed. This is social satire stripped of anger or rage, a bitter pill in a colorful wrapper. We can only hope that our generation is proven wrong and that the future can be bright. Alternatively, we might find joy and laughter, just as we did during the play, even as the world around us deteriorates.
And if you didn’t like this review, you can just pretend it was written by AI.
Credits:
Author, director, song writer: Lénárd Róbert // Set design: Urbán András // Costume designer Puskás Zoltán// Composer: suno.com (AI) // Piano: Szalai Bence
Cast: Ferenc Ágota, Greguss Lilla, László Judit, Német Attila, Ozsvár Róbert, Sirmer Zoltán, Sadiković Marijo
Further reading: interview with Robert Lenard
For more information on Novi Sad Theatre, visit: ujvideki.com
Divna Stojanov is a dramaturg and playwright. She writes mainly for children and young people.
