Previews: BALLADS AND ROMANCES at Wroclaw Mime Theatre

You can love him or hate him. Adam Mickiewicz, one of the greatest polish authors of all time, wrote Ballads and Romances exactly 200 years ago. The collection's publication is widely seen as the main manifesto of Polish romanticism. We were fed with him at school and now we grew up to get something more out of it.

There are 3 directors, Zdenka Pszczolowska, Blazej Peszek, and Piotr Soroka. Every one of them will get 30 minutes to rewrite one of Mickiewicz's ballads. I spoke with the directors and they have very different motifs. One of them wants to put modern touch and look at old text with a fresh eye, describing an after-pandemic intimate relationship with Mickiewicz's romanticism without words because those for him sound old-fashioned. Instead, we will witness a timeless need for intimacy and emotions shown by movement. The other director (I'm not saying which one on purpose) thinks that Mickiewicz's text is exciting, mystical, and full of aspects out of this world. Ghosts, hell threats, magic, witchcraft, it all will be here. The last director is paying tribute to Mickiewicz and admires his work. In this part, we will feel the respect for the canon of literature, and the re-description of a well-known work. It will be more connected to dance and music, and a variety of sounds would flow off the stage.

The lights are great, costumes are sublime.

The cherry on the pie is the live music of Magda Pasierska and Szymon Tomczyk.

The premiere is on the 20th of October. Cannot wait!

Photo: K. Zatycki

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