4 hours with one intermission.
Bucharest (2010)
Date of the opening: September 22, 2010
Main hall performance
Opening date: September 22nd, 2010
Running time: 4 hours with one intermission.
Not recommended for viewers under the age of 15.
William’s Party
with
Sisters and Sluts
Monks and Murderers
Jailbirds and Judges
Scenic version by Matthias Langhoff and Eszter Biró
I tossed in my bed, my legs ached and my eyes wouldn’t close. – “Good evening, Matthias.” – “Hello, Matthias. How did you get in here?”– “But you always leave the window open?” – “Oh... what do you want, Matthias?”– “Nothing... I want to ask, how you are liking Cluj?” – “Well, my bed is fine. The park in front of the theatre is nice; the people I work with are friendly.” – “The life of mankind is not easy. Under the clothing of new times, the worries of times long past grow. Power remains autocratic. The law protects injustice. Gained freedom has to be paid for with obedience. Love, friendship and trust become consumer products. Life gets more difficult, everyone must look to their own survival without getting caught in the net of blind justice. And justice, which should be daily bread for the people, plentiful and delicious bread, remains unbaked. The hungry can be sated with morality, faith and hope. – “Are you speaking about Cluj, Matthias?”– “No, about Vienna, about Measure for Measure, about Shakespeare.” – “Really?”– “I think so.”– “You want me to change Shakespeare?”– “No, no! Shakespeare mustn’t be changed. He is never out of date, but always ahead of us. You simply must read him again, and while doing so, observe the setting you find yourself in. Good night, Matthias.” And he was gone. I got out of my bed and closed the window. I didn’t
want to allow any more thoughts inside or out into the night. “Wake up, Matthias.”– I started awake. He was sitting in front of the closed window with a beaming smile on his face. He was tapping on the window and couldn’t stop laughing at me. “Leave me alone, Matthias,” I told him grumpily. “I need to collect my thoughts and go to rehearsal.” – “I know, I know, I just wanted to tell you. It’s morning and Measure for Measure is a comedy. – “Comedy?” I said, with a stern look. “You know nothing at all, Matthias! Absolutely nothing.”
(Matthias Langhoff)