Review: THE SHOEMAKERS at Teatr Polski In Wroclaw

Witkacy is not easy to swallow. He led a colorful life full of dramas of various intensities. He was a painter, a writer, a soldier, a philosopher, and way more. He loved to shock and burn out from dullness and confusing basic matters. He had a vision, he was implacable. His last play, The Shoemakers is political and grotesque. Predicts the collapse of civilization. For many, this work is the cruelest and most provocative in the writer's entire work. Today his piece is frightfully contemporary.

Stanislaw Mielski, the director created a version that is smart, thrilling, terrifying, and wacky at the same time. I think Witkacy would appreciate a lot this interpretation, costumes, and moments of total madness.

The show is very society-oriented with pessimistic and coarse resonance. It's about work ethos, pleasure, class inequality, politics, and ideas. The text itself is not easy, full of archaic language and tangled thoughts but the ensemble rises to the occasion and brings words to the fore creating a vigorous tempo (especially outstanding Blazej Michalski which puts a marvelous touch of spirited energy). Marcin Piejas as Scurvy is phenomenal. His creation of a powerful but disoriented, shaky, and ruthless lead is going straight to the point. He rules, being at a time power-hungry and grotesque, measuring time and space with his loud, unobjectionable steps and indulging in ridiculous vast dance with female guards (Aleksandra Chapko and Marika Klarman-Gisman) just after. Even though he changes a lot on the stage, he's true and convincing at every moment like a current that is carrying, slower or faster, all the action. Dariusz Brzeski as Sajetan is wonderful as always, sharp and passionate. Duchess (Agata Skowronska) brings a vibe of licentiousness out of control and beyond the horizon. She's unstoppable.

The second act is pure madness and a fascinating treat of... music and songs! What is happening on the stage is even hard to describe with stunning music (Izabela Kuriata-Matuszewska and Piotr Matuszewski), brilliant costumes (Marianna Syska), and fabulous choreography (Arkadiusz Buszko). I felt like looking at Wizard of Oz combined with The Night of the Living Dead from '68. It's not the first time (and I deeply hope not the last) that Teatr Polski shows an astonishing musical number. They look superb and make a perfect example of how it should be done. There is energy, synchronization, accurate implication, perfect timing, and individualism. Everything makes sense and it's compelling. It was so spirited and precise that I could sit there watching this forever.

The man in Witkacy's piece is primitive, torn by internal rules, he wants to work, have sex, or order. As we figure it out power is enslavement itself. The question is whether the revolution makes any sense. The question is open and accurate. The work that artists did in this show is needed, moving, and inspiring. You certainly cannot remain indifferent to it as to any Witkacy's work.

Photo: M. Plywacz