Review: TYRANT at Wroclaw Mime Theatre

When you were a kid, you probably heard: Don't play with scissors. Don't play with matches. It's dangerous. It's sharp. You should be afraid of it, not play with it. Pantomima Theater's new show proves all adults wrong. Playing with dangerous and sharp can bring something amazing and fresh, the new value and Jakub Lewandowski, director can play airly with fear and horror perfectly. You would probably not gnash your teeth.

A big picture: the space is incredible, with many possibilities, but even in this immense territory, each gesture of the actors is visible and valued. This play is based on stories of vampires, horror, tyranny and death. Each different, even a small one - unique. It's like choosing different candies from a box, sweet, sour, insane or light.

Three of my favorite actors are: wind, sound (do not mistake with words, there aren't any here) and light. They are like a good seasoning, adding a dose of umami to the show. Not easy. I like to hear the movement and not just see it, there is always an element of secrecy and intimacy while experiencing the whistle of a quick movement of the hand.

In addition to these spices, we have human actors (Artur Borkowski, Agnieszka Charkot, Izabela Czesniewicz, Agnieszka Dziewa, Wojciech Furman, Anna Nabialkowska, Jakub Pewinski and Monika Rostecka), full of energy and sharp as knives (as always). There are vampires, tyrant, possession, obsession. They are the carriers of information and emotions, they represent various aspects of horror movies, a kind of deconstruction of what we know, of what we are used to.

I really loved the scene with the amazing Agnieszka Dziewa and Artur Borkowski, when he wraps around him and is actually like his obsession and magic power that will finally be able to guide him. Uncompromising and aimed exactly at the point. Hitting the nail on the head.

Another scene that stole my heart is the one with the movie scene of Nosferatu - a symphony of horror (this year we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the premiere of this movie), not only using the greatest atributes of the space to create an atmosphere and show the perversity of the director's gaze, but also to perform an extraordinary sense of humor stemming from... fear.

The atmosphere of the show is made from feathers, lace and elegant satins (set design and costumes by Lidia Kanclerz). Those visial elements plus the lights (Pawel Murlik) do their job perfectly. Apart from that, we have a lot of impressions, finished and perfectly executed movements, the mood of darkness, wood and smoke. A real horror but without fear. It's a beauty. Maybe running with scissors makes more sense and is more needed than we think?

Photo: Natalia Kabanow

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