Montenegrin National Theatre (presented as part of the 29th Yugoslav Theatre Festival in Užice)
Ibsen Machine is described in the programme note as a play based on motifs drawn from four plays by Norway’s most famous playwright Henrik Ibsen. However, it transpires that dramaturg Željka Udovički Pleština, used the play Pillars of Society as the predominant template for her adaptation, to which she added motifs from Hedda Gabler (a woman’s suicide), A Doll’s House (a woman who sacrifices herself for her husband) and An Enemy of the People (abuse of the position and authority offered by the title and public social function) to emphasise corruption.
The production acts as a commentary on the capitalist model of the accumulation of goods and the enrichment of the individual, in this case the shipbuilder Bernick (who is also the mayor) and his family. The set design by Vanja Magić, an imposing mountain of large, unpacked boxes and a row of functional, green, plush, narrow armchairs, feeds into this theme. Designing the space in this way aims to render meaningless the possession of an absurdly accumulated surplus in the form of acquired but unused material goods and the occupation of a large number of seats by a small number of people, with one person sitting on four armchairs at a time.
Director Ana Vukotić imposes a threefold task on the ensemble. She combines Ibsen’s naturalistic and melodramatic characterisation, whose main proponent is Simo Trebješanin (Bernick), with elements of caricature, which are most impressively developed by Lazar Đurđević (confidential clerk Krap), and a stylised playfulness, in which Ana Vujošević (Lona Hensel) takes on the leading role.
The somewhat tasteless musical choices, which includes Vivaldi numbers performed on the cello accompanied with techno rhythms, and AC/DC’s ‘Thunderstruck’ also performed on the cello, serve as a further imposed element and contribute to the sense of excess. With the help of choreographer Sonja Vukićević and the lighting design (Ana Vukotić and Vanja Magić), the director inserts numerous abstract and non-symbolic dance interludes and violent etudes into the already eclectic structure, expressing the psychological state of the characters.
The climax of these stylised actions takes place at the end, when all the masks fall and it becomes clear that the power of the economic, political and moral elite is based on lies, obscenities, manipulation and blackmail. These collapsed pillars of society are wrapped in huge nylon as material surplus together with a pile of unopened packages. The leader of the socialist rebellion, the shipbuilder Aune as interpreted by Jovan Dabović, will climb free and victorious on them.
The clearly formulated concept of the Ibsen Machine relies on the power of clear symbols, in the hope that the audience will recognise the contours of their own surroundings on stage. This is undoubtedly the case with this play, but its potential is exhausted by the mere identification with what we all already know very well. In its endeavour to highlight human decay and decadence wherever possible, and in its need to use hyperbole of apocalyptic proportions, the play fails to address psychological nuance, complex moral challenges and the causes of the stumbling of Ibsen’s characters, who are not black and white in their nature.
By taking negative human characteristics to extremes, the team of authors have created a piece that screams, almost shouts, simplistic political views with all manner of theatrical fanfare. This is both its triumph and its downfall.
Such a need to magnify the clearly formulated contours of texts depicting distorted social phenomena and conditions with even more negative exaggeration was also evident in some other productions that I saw from Montenegro.
In both Without Portfolio by Stevan Koprivica produced by City Theatre Podgorica, and The Misunderstanding by Albert Camus produced by Montenegrin National Theatre, which were presented during the two previous editions of the Yugoslav Theatre Festival, one could recognise the dramaturg’s and director’s desire to intensify social criticism in plays that are in themselves strongly subversive. Koprivica writes a modern version of Nušić’s The Cabinet Minister’s Wife and, together with director Branislav Mićunović, adds a stronger dose of nepotism, greed and corruption to the well-known plot, emphasising everything with satirical slogans. Similarly, director Damjan Pejanović paints Camus’ pessimistic, defeatist and gloomy play with even darker shades – a dystopian atmosphere and the evocation of images of war and politicians from Hitler to Vučić.
It is obvious that theatre makers in Montenegro have a great desire to tackle the issues that plague their society. Their need for the exaggerated theatrical language probably arises not only from the accumulated socio-political problems, but also from the fact that they are not addressed enough and appropriately in public.
The fact that the theatre community in Montenegro is very small also limits the professional horizons and experiences of theatre makers. This is why regional cooperation between theatre communities is very important – it broadens the spectrum of artistic expression and tests the effectiveness of established method
Credits
Director: Ana Vukotić //Adaptation/dramaturgy :Željka Udovičić Pleština// Scenography:Vanja Magić//Costumes:Lina Leković//Music:Ana Vukotić
For more information, visit: cnp.me
Andrej Čanji is a theatre critic and theatrologist based in Belgrade.
