Review: I CANNOT GET MARRIED at TEATR POLSKI WROCLAW - I cannot stop laughing!

Moliere said that the duty of comedy is to correct men by amusing them. And this is exactly what happens in Teatr Polski during play I Cannot Get Married. It's a funny time worth to spend in a theatre and maybe get some lesson from it. You will experience some celebrities facing cameras, trying say something valuable (not easy thing to do if there is nothing to say).

The plot is not very complicated (quite unusual for author Fredro - polish playwright from 19th century): There is Gdanski - Andrzej Ga??a - rich man very in love and very jealous of his young wife Hermenegilda (Aldona Struzik). Some time ago she had a love affaire with Milder (Dariusz Bereski) and her ex-lover one day appears in a very surprising companionship. There is also servant Maciej amazingly played by Michal Bialecki - true persona comica - his transcription of dinner talk will for sure make you laugh. It did to me and whole audience during its premiere.

There is a tinsel, a glare and a gloss but not a lot of contents in characters' speeches in front of camera. They are celebrities walking through their lives - like on catwalk (literally) and sharing their thoughts with public view. To the delight of an energetic journalist (Iwona Kucharzak-Dziuda) looking for cheap sensations and new curiosities about the life of celebrities, they talk a lot with less and less content. At all cost she wants to get some valuable phrases from them asking questions but all they have to say are empty words, loud, glamorous and sparkling but blank...

Those people are like empty shell with nothing but air in the inside and beautiful skin on the outside. There is an introduction: they are being interviewed by this grotesque journalist. Well, they obviously don't have a lot to say but they are talking - a lot! It's ridiculous and funny till a second audience realizes that this is exactly what is going around us all the time and empty, cheap talk is nothing new and funny - maybe embarrassing.

But be prepared for a good laugh!

There is often this dilemma related to comedy in the theatre. A spectator may be disappointed because there is no katharsis, no internal big drama, characters are not tragic. But for me, thinking that every piece of theatre should be inflated, serious and a life changer is a mistake. Purpose of this piece was to entertain and make audience think which is achieved in 100%. There is not a deep, big subject beside the curtain instead a funny story but not stupid. Will you be deeply moved with what you see on the stage? Probably not. Will you be entertain in a cultural way? For sure!

Sense of humor is a personal thing and sensitive subject as it goes to the public but pretending to be puritans should be passe. A play should be real and touch real things.

Director (Grzegorz Kempinsky) is successfully showing that foolishness is never getting old and that what was written over 100 years ago is actual. With contemporary elements spectator from 21st century is not bored and overwhelmed with old era with smell of naftalin. In an easy and amusing way it shows that world was and probably will be full of empty content which can be funny (sometimes even hilarious) but with touch of bitterness: because their author feel no shame.

Theatre should be public and not all of us are prepared for big and moving disturbing acts. What's wrong with that?

The play is clean, funny, pleasant to eye with stunning costumes (prepared by Barbara Wolosik) as they are contemporary with original elements from Fredro's era they amaze with freshness.

Summarizing: the play is funny as it should be and worth to see although the title issue (problem with getting married) is not the main subject of the play. Advised for audience ready to laugh!

Photo credit: Marek Grotowski

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